The Ethereal Theory
by BOC42
Summary: It's 2010: the U.S. Stock Market has crashed, there is a catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Fat Cat has mysteriously vanished, and Chip is convinced that they are all related. The Rangers' investigation leads them to Africa, where they find even more than Chip had bargained for. Sequel to Closer Than a Brother.
1. Prologue

All characters are copyright of Disney. I own nothing. But anyway, welcome (almost a decade later) to the sequel to _Closer than a Brother._ Many thanks to Silver Shadow for reading and critiquing this and not criticizing me when I let it ferment for five or six years.

Once on a case in Paris, Gadget mentioned the Ethereal Theory.

"If you believe in the Ethereal Theory...everything happens for a reason."

This story takes place over the course of a couple of years, and references the 2008 financial crisis (mostly in the United States) and the BP oil spill in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico.

 **The Ethereal Theory**

 **-Prologue-**

*2008*

Fat Cat looked out over the ocean from his hiding place near the bow of the British steamer _Sunset_. In a few days time he would be at the Tanzanian port of Zanzibar, and from the thence cross to Dar es Salaam, where next Thursday he would join a human mining crew from the old capital as they journeyed to the Tulawaka gold mine. This was Lady Clutchcoin's latest venture: a quarter share in a Tanzanian gold mine that had suddenly boomed. And word from the British tabloids was that the Clutchcoins had also bought into a small Tanzanite mine near Tulawaka, in Mererani. As the richest cat in town, Fat Cat would make sure he got his full cut of the profits.

And as the most successful businessman in town, he would have to check the map of Tanzania again – the names were still all unintelligible to him. It wouldn't do at all to have the map hanging on his casino wall if he couldn't brag about it intelligently.

In the still of the evening, the ship's bell began ringing frantically. Above him, sailors began shouting and appearing out of nowhere, scrambling to reach their posts. Fat Cat quietly ducked further behind his crate and listened to the snippets of conversation whipping past him in the dark air.

"On the radar..."

"Huge!"

"Coming right as us!"

"Now, now, what's this?" Fat Cat asked hypothetically to no one, looking out over the water expectantly. In answer to his question, a glowing submarine surfaced on the port side of the ship. It was visible for only seconds, but the humans made full use of the time, shooting frantically at it. The ringing shots from the guns made only dull dents in the submarine's hull before it had submerged again. The shooting around Fat Cat stopped, and the humans slowly drew away from the rails, silent and fearful as if they'd seen a ghost.

Fat Cat was about to turn away when he noticed a smaller replica of the submarine bob up, right beneath his position at the ship's bow. The hatch opened, and a rodent emerged, shot a grappling hook at the rail of the ship, and shimmied up.

"It can't be-" Fat Cat murmured angrily. "Those Rescue Rangers can't find me here!"

The rodent clambered up next to him, apparently not frightened by the sight of his natural enemy. In fact, he spoke. "Did you say 'Rescue Rangers'?" His voice was smooth and British.

"What of it?" Fat Cat asked guardedly.

The mouse reached inside his wrinkled suit coat and extracted a handkerchief, which he dabbed his brow with. "Shall I say we perhaps have a common acquaintance?"

Fat Cat frowned.

The mouse continued. "And a common dislike for them?"

That was the ticket. "Yes, actually. The morons – always ruining my plans."

"And mine. Especially Gadget."

Fat Cat waved a paw dismissively. "I don't bother with names."

"Perhaps you should like to know mine anyway. My name is Jules Crissen." He offered his paw.

"Fat Cat," the cat replied, stooping to shake the proffered paw.

"I have heard of you from the Rangers," Jules said, straightening his coat.

"I see they have widened their circle of enemies to include their own kind," Fat Cat purred, still deciding what he thought about this apparition of a mouse who had appeared almost out of thin air.

Jules shivered slightly in the evening air. "Perhaps you would be so kind, Fat Cat, as to show me where I might get out of the weather. I'm afraid it's been a long week, and I would enjoy a rest."

Fat Cat paused for a moment before deciding that there was an edge to Mr. Crissen's voice that brooked disgust and vengeance. "But of course," he replied debonairly, bowing and showing the way with his paw. This mouse was, for the time being, accepted. "You know what they say: the enemy of my enemy can only be my friend!"

Fat Cat and Jules descended silently into the bowels of the steamer, eluding all human eyes. "I'm afraid it's not much, but do make yourself comfortable," Fat Cat crooned, showing Jules into a little nook in the side of the ship. Several makeshift beds made of rope and rags were scattered around a stool that served as a table. A mangy cat and a mole were sleeping on two of the beds. "A few of my...henchmen; if you don't mind the term, Mr. Crissen."

"Not at all," Jules smiled, setting delicately on a stack of folded rags.

"I take it you had a run-in with the Rangers," Fat Cat prompted, fishing around and finding a bottle of milk. He held it up. "I'm afraid it's not much, but could I tempt you?"

Jules nodded. "Easily. I haven't had anything to eat or drink in at least two days."

"No!" exclaimed Fat Cat, handing Jules a cup.

"Sadly. And I fear I must blame the Rangers."

"Do tell," Fat Cat asked scathingly. He leaned against the stool and sipped from his own glass.

"You see, my former partner, one named Bubbles, and I, attempted to teach Gadget and the other Rangers a lesson. Gadget is the inventor."

"Ah! The one in that pathetic, oil-stained jumpsuit."

"Most hideous."

"Agreed," said Fat Cat, taking a draught.

"At any rate," Jules continued, "Bubbles was also a former victim of the Rangers. They destroyed his plan to become wealthy off of a group referred to as the 'Cola Cult.' Gadget took the lead in his demise, and he wanted revenge."

"Naturally."

"At the time I met Bubbles I was under the employ of a Russian actress, one Sophia Marskov. A charming woman; no doubt you have heard of her?"

"I've not had the honor."

"Ah, well, without endangering her, we used her as bait to lure the Rangers out into a place where Bubbles could have his brother exact revenge upon them. The plan went sour however, when Gadget accidentally killed his brother."

"How unfortunate!" Fat Cat exclaimed tactfully.

"It was. For of course that lead to Chip's –he's their leader- suspicion of Sophia, which was the last thing I wanted. It did, however, allow Bubbles and me to lure the Rangers in again. This time Bubbles had his revenge: he drowned Gadget off the coast of France." Jules laughed. "It is unfortunate that Sophia will have to endure the loss of her friend, for she and Gadget became close. Poor Chip! He'll be heartbroken! And that big oaf Monterey – I think he saw Gadget as a daughter."

Fat Cat leaned forward eagerly. "Are you telling me that you've not only rid the world of one of the Rescue Rodents, but have the rest of them in your lap?"

Jules waved a paw and downed his milk. "I wouldn't say I have them in my lap."

"But they are weak and vulnerable now! Where are they?"

Jules smiled gently. "We parted in France." The smile vanished. "Bubbles was finishing Gadget off. His Cola Cult followers and I were boarding a ship bound for England when _somehow_ the ship's safe _mysteriously_ landed on top of us. I managed to avoid being crushed, but most of the others were not so lucky. As for Bubbles, I've not seen him since. I jumped ship on a small piece of rubbish and was picked up by a Captain Finn."

"Captain Finn?"

"Yes. A most peculiar anchovy that also harbors a dislike for the Rangers. He brought me this far."

Fat Cat considered this news for a few moments as Jules took a turn about the room. The Rangers, distressed and minus a key team-member made a tempting target. Surely the gold and Tanzanites would keep after his initial heist. This was the opportunity of a lifetime.

"Mr. Crissen?"

"Please, call me Jules."

Fat Cat bowed. "Jules. What would you say to having a _new_ partner?"

Jules regarded Fat Cat imperiously. "Oh?"

"You don't like the Rescue Rangers, neither do I. It would be – mutually beneficial -if we formed a partnership."

Tempting, Jules had to admit to himself. He had gone in on the Rangers with Bubbles because of Gadget and his own firm belief in anti-feminism. He had not been a criminal; he had merely been an under-estimated idealist. But...the Rangers had aggravated him. Perhaps, if he did not take this opportunity, the Rangers would get the best of _him_. Heaven only knew what lengths Chip and Monterey Jack would go to in order to avenge Gadget's death. Staying with Fat Cat would allow him to keep an eye on them, if nothing else. Also, he didn't really have anywhere else to go.

"I believe that a partnership could be profitable," Jules said.

Fat Cat refilled both of the glasses. "A toast then! To our new partnership and the demise of the Rangers!"

*Tanzania, April 2010*

The office was becoming unbearably sticky and hot when four o'clock arrived on Thursday afternoon. The stench was awful – sweating humans with cheap cologne and old food, compounded with the stale scent of warm water being poured repeatedly into the window cooler. Jules didn't know how much longer he could stand it before going back to the blessedly cool and dark underground apartment that he and Fat Cat shared with the non-human miners. That was to say nothing of departing altogether for Sweden or Alaska. Jules was certain he was going to bake.

"Here you go, boss!"

"Another good haul today," added a nasal, reptilian voice, sounding pleased.

Jules looked up to regard Fat Cat's goons enter the office. They couldn't even properly be called henchmen. All of them, with the possible exception of Wart, had heads full of sawdust. Fat Cat stood to examine the day's bounty. He smacked his lips and rubbed his paws together greedily. "Let's see," he preened.

Obligingly, Mepps and Wart heaved two large rough bags into the human food scale. Fat Cat hungrily inspected the read-out. "Four pounds, three ounces."

The brainless help turned to the door, no doubt with designs of raiding the human fridge in the building above Fat & Crissen, Lmt.

Fat Cat narrowed his eyes for a moment, then turned and looked appraisingly at Jules. "How are we doing?"

Jules had volunteered to help out with the books in the absence of capable minds. "Averaging 20 pounds a week. Jolly decent, I'd say. We've certainly got a firm grasp on the MM." The MM, or Mini Market, referred to the worldwide market in which virtually all animals traded.

"'A firm grasp on the MM,'" Fat Cat repeated slowly, turning to the window. "I therefore will have a new casino in New York," he said quietly. "Caviar, pate, champagne, Spanish olives, Alaskan salmon...a new wardrobe..." After a moment he rallied. "And of course the power and influence to ruin and destroy the Rescue Rangers."

"What's left of them," Jules reminded him warmly.

"The thought is quite euphoric," the large feline turned back to Jules slowly and grinned wickedly. "And how are our ventures doing outside of the animal kingdom?"

Jules grinned back. "Now that _is_ the good news. Petrol prices have climbed all across Europe and America. The silly humans are quite dependent on the stuff – we manage without well enough!"

"Bless them," sneered Fat Cat sarcastically. "And have our contacts all made their monthly report?"

Jules pulled open a drawer at the desk and brought a sheaf of neatly marked folders to the top. "They've all sent in their reports. Where shall we start?"

Fat Cat sat down on a chair opposite and templed his fingers with a relish. "I believe we should start in the eastern hemisphere this month."

Jules shuffled the folders accordingly. "Very well. Let's see, in Dubai, your contacts report that the oil rig is completely under their control. The humans are apparently under the impression that their rather large oil deposit is nearly dry. Prices have skyrocketed. On the 4th of this month, the cost of a barrel of crude oil had risen from $65 to $72. It is still rising."

Fat Cat lounged, clearly enjoying himself. "And what are my dear Americans 'paying at the pump', as they say?"

"$3.85 for medium grade, and it's still early in the summer there. Prices will continue to rise as the sweating masses begin to take holidays in earnest."

"Ah, perfect. And in Olso?"

Jules found the appropriate folder. "Hans reports that with Captain Finn's help, the salmon being captured in fjords and off the coast has dropped 47%. Again, prices have gone up." He again changed folders. "You cousin's report came in last week from France. He tells you that he has borrowed several paintings from the Louvre's vaults and is showing them privately. He says he is withholding $450 from your Swiss account this month to reimburse himself for the money you borrowed from him to start you casino."

Fat Cat hissed softly.

Jules shook his head. "He also writes that your grandmother has a cold and has asked why you failed to send her a birthday card in March."

Fat Cat hissed again. "Forget Maltese. How is Rat Capone doing?"

Jules didn't reach for a folder this time, having just read the report the day before. "Capone says, and I quote, 'Those humans is sure stupid. They's gots no idea where there bullion is goin' to.'"

"My dear fellow, your impeccable accent should never be degraded to the slang of an inner-city gangster. "

"My apologies, I am sure," Jules said and winked at his partner, reaching for the last folder. "I've not had a chance to read Captain Finn's report yet."

"Aah-" Fat Cat reached across the desk and took the folder from Jules. "I do not think reading Finn's will be necessary."

"Not necessary? You mean you are including his update with Hans' from Oslo?"

Fat Cat frowned. "Eh – yes. That is what I am doing. After all, herding salmon out of the fjords must be a full-time job. I will give him another month before bothering with him."

Jules had the distinct impression that there was something in the report that Fat Cat did not wish him to read, but pushed it aside. "So, that's the MM as well as a large portion of the human stock market securely in your fist, my friend. Tell me, how does it feel to be one of the richest creatures on the planet?"

Fat Cat preened and replaced Finn's report at the bottom of the stack. Jules carefully placed them back in the desk drawer and locked it this time, surreptitiously pocketing the key.

"It makes me feel quite generous, actually. So generous, in fact, that I think it finally time for me to condescend to grace the Rangers with my presence."

Jules leaned forward. He had been wondering if it would be another two years before Fat Cat decided that the final stages of his plan should be put in motion. "And how are you planning to do it?" he asked curiously.

Fat cat stood and paced the office for a moment. At last, standing near the greasy window with the fan blowing lukewarm air on him, he turned back to the desk. "Have you read any of the local animal rags recently, Jules?"

Wondering what sort of lead-in to an answer this was, Jules raised his eyebrow. "I never read them if I can help it. But your *helpers* do tend to leave several magazines lying about."

Fat Cat reached inside his coat and came to the desk. From it he withdrew one of the said local magazines. It was a tabloid, in English, sold generally at the airports and visitor's centers in Tanzania. On the front cover was a photograph of a dark-haired, fair-faced mouse woman dressed in all khaki. Beside her stood a smiling kangaroo rat with a hat placed jauntily upon his head.

Jules gasped and grabbed the magazine from Fat Cat's paws. _"Romance in the Desert: Sophia and Jake's Film and Flirtation."_ He stared hard at the cover, his eyes lingering on the lovely face of the woman he could once call a close friend. "She is _here_?"

"Yes, she is here, and I believe she is the key to bringing the Rangers here."

Jules shot Fat Cat a contemptuous glare. "Fat Cat, I may not be able to speak to her any longer, but I absolutely refuse to allow any harm to come to her."

Fat Cat sat down and touched the magazine cover. "She would not be harmed at all, Jules!" He exclaimed. "I merely wish her to be witness to something that will force her to call the Rangers here to help. Not to help her – she will be in no danger – but to help others here. I was thinking of quietly letting the fact of my presence here and not in New York come to her attention. It would be as simple as that."

Jules did not answer, but continued to look at the picture of the woman with the captivating smile. Feeling that he may have the key in the lock, Fat Cat pressed on. "You know, Jules, it could very easily be worked out that she never knows that you know me. After I have the Rangers here… As much as I value your companionship, I wouldn't dream of standing in your way. If you wished," he paused carefully, eyeing Jules, "I would very happily set you up anywhere you like. I doubt very much if this filthy rag knows anything of the real Sophia Marskov, and I doubt even more if Jake Ross does. I have been following Miss Marskov's career since you and I met, and I understand she has had a very busy two years since you parted. She seems quite distracted."

Jules' eyes caught Fat Cat's and he glared. "How do you mean, 'distracted?'" he demanded in a voice that was cold and wary.

Fat Cat proceeded on thin ice. "I simply meant that I have noticed, in my perusal of magazines and the internet, that she has only made one film; she usually works on two films and appears as a guest on television shows. All sources report that she keeps vanishing from France and spending large amounts of time in New York."

"You mean with the Rangers. Fat Cat, I know what you are insinuating. Sophia would no more look at me as a friend again than she would Rat Capone. She holds me responsible for Gadget's death."

Fat Cat leaned forward. "But think of it, Jules! You could no doubt convince her that you've seen the error of your ways. That you've spent the past two years praying for a chance to beg her forgiveness. It would take patience, time, and charm, but my friend – those are qualities you possess in abundance!"

Something squirmed uncomfortably in the pit of Jules's stomach. He had tried very hard not to think of Sophia, and particularly of their less-than-friendly parting. He did regret his actions, only on her account - not on the Ranger's. They were nothing to him but a group of misfits who had a knack for attracting trouble. But Sophia. Sophia was a different story. Maybe, maybe…

"And how are you going to reveal your presence?" he asked dully. He felt faintly ill.

Fat Cat clapped his paws. "I believe Asani will cause a small distraction."

Jules snapped. He jumped to his feet quicker than a cadet saluting his captain. "You will _not_ , I repeat, will _not_ allow Asani to work his foul craft on Sophia! I forbid it!" Jules spat, glaring at Fat Cat.

Deciding that it was high time to cut this line of thought with Jules, Fat Cat held up his paws in defeat. "Forget I mentioned it. Forgive me." Quietly, he left the office, shutting the door with a click behind him.

Jules took several deep breaths and sat down again. Sophia's lovely visage smiled up at him from the desk, and he felt chills go down his spine.

He spent much of that night memorizing the ridiculous article about Sophia and Jake. He knew none of it was true, but the fact that Sophia was really _here_ , perhaps only hours away, was a huge weight on his heart. At last, in the small hours of morning, Jules placed the magazine inside his pillowcase and dropped into a light sleep. He awoke with the dawn, wondering what on earth he was supposed to do.


	2. Witches, Bats, and Howling Cats

Good evening all! Remember as always, I own nothing.

 **Witches, Bats, and Howling Cats**

*New York City, April 2010*

"Marco!"

Chip's voice rang through my workshop. "Polo," I answered automatically. My reply was muffled by the fact that I was on my back on a roller board underneath the as-yet-un-named Ranger Mobile Mark II.

I felt a paw on my leg, and with a gentle tug, I found myself looking up at Chip. After staring at nothing except the ventilation system on the Mark II for the past three days, it was a bit of a jolt.

He grinned. "We wondered if you'd died in here, Hackwrench." He chuckled at the sight of me.

I sat up on the roller board, groaning at the crick in my back. "Nearly. Luckily I got the ventilation system working on this, or we'd have all died."

Still grinning, Chip dropped to his knees and took my face in his paws. "You know what, sweetheart? You're not making any sense. But I'm very glad you fixed the ventilation system."

A voice of common sense in the back of my head nudged me slightly. _You should probably get some sleep, Gadget -_ "Naptime?" I asked, extending my paw. My vision was already blurring slightly. It never ceased to amaze me that I could work for days on end without sleep, but the moment I stopped working, I dropped like a rock.

He pulled me up and drew me out of the workshop. "After 36 hours? More like bedtime." He led me through the Conference Room where Monty was watching an AFL game.

"You fin' the wanderin' lass, then?"

"Yep. She was still in her workshop."

"Gadget-luv, yeh gotta make sure yeh get some sleep."

I nodded blearily to Monty, my eyes still seeing circuits and car parts every time I blinked. Suddenly I was at the door of my bedroom.

Chip looked me in the eye and grinned. "Sleep, Gadget. That's an order." He kissed my forehead. "Think you can find your way from here?"

Exhaustion suddenly fell onto my shoulders like an avalanche and I stumbled forward. "Umm…whoa…" My brain was shutting down, and I had the brief impression of the power going out right in the middle of a movie, leaving me feeling like a collapsed bubble.

I heard Chip sigh. He caught me and slung me into his arms, marched into my bedroom and deposited me on my bed. Someone else threw a blanket over me.

"She's really gotta stop doin' this, yeh know, Chipper. Maybe if yeh jes' 'ad a word with 'er…"

"Monty, since when has Gadget ever listened to me?"

*Tanzania, April 2010*

Desperate to think of anything but Sophia, Jules flipped the magazine upside down so that it displayed only a Coca Cola advertisement, then he reached in his pocket and took out the key to the desk. A moment later he had the file from Captain Finn open, and began to peruse it.

The first paragraph was the usual banter from Finn about how grateful he was to find a kindred spirit in Fat Cat, and that he was using this divinely sent opportunity to not only protect the fish but to inflict as much revenge upon the humans as was possible.

 _This is a war we are waging, Fat Cat, against the evil humans who have done so much to destroy this beautiful world and all the other creatures in it! I call it a war, yes, though you may not see it that way! And in war, there are sometimes heavy casualties, sometimes heavier on the side of good than bad. But in the end, good will always triumph. I fear there is a heavier price to pay this time, but if all goes as you plan, the humans will soon see the error of their ways. Yes, I am willing to inflict death on a few in the view of the greater good that will come of it!_

Captain Finn often raved, but this was ridiculous. He was quite, quite mad! What on earth had Fat Cat convinced him to do? Bending over further, Jules scanned down the page until he found what he wanted. And his heart very nearly stopped.

 _I have no doubt you have heard that the humans have found a problem with their precious oil drill in the Gulf! However, I doubt if they will ever realize what a desperate and brave attempt at freedom this sabotage was, or who this courageous stab was made by!_

Jules felt as though he had slammed into a brick wall. His body turned cold and he broke out into a sweat. He had watched the news broadcasts since the 20th of this month in cold horror as he watched countless animals die in the oil slick. Fat Cat had stood beside him and clucked his tongue softly, as if in disbelief. To think that Fat Cat had _encouraged_ … _ordered_ Finn to commit such an atrocity… Jules very deliberately set the paper down on the desk and backed a pace away, feeling his blood pressure rise and his stomach turn to ice. He had underestimated Fat Cat. Severely.

He was not exactly a squeaky-clean mouse, and he knew it. He had not waltzed through life, but rather bumped into anyone who dared get in his way. But he was not evil. Jules had not believed he had much of a conscience left until yesterday, but this morning it pricked him yet again, much more painfully. He was not evil, and he couldn't abide this sort of terrorism.

The fan rotated, buzzing on its stand, and the pages of the magazine fluttered open to the article on Sophia, as if some ethereal presence was nudging him. Sophia's smile and Finn's letter contrasted baldly before him. And he knew where he'd rather be.

*New York City, Rescue Aid Society Headquarters, June 2010*

Dr. William Hardcastle, Chairman of the Rescue Aid Society, had not realized that the end of the world would be such a disaster.

He breathed heavily now, sweating in his coat and vest, suffering in the June heat that was augmented by the fire in the Waldorf Astoria building. Perhaps now the humans would start piecing together the puzzle. Whoever it was -and they weren't humans- that was causing this global chaos had zeroed in on the Aid Society, and had forthwith obliterated it before they could draw any solid conclusions. He was certain that was why the building across the street from him was now on fire.

Dr. Hardcastle stumbled away from the smoke and the noisy fire engines. The fire was not bad; the humans would probably experience only minimal damage on a few floors. But the entire R.A.S offices were gone. The delegates had literally fled for their lives; no one had told them if they were regrouping later. It was complete pandemonium.

As the Chairman, albeit one without an organization, he would have to act. His first move was to speak with the Rescue Rangers. Their skill at solving crimes was legend. They were first on the site whenever anything untoward happened in town. In fact, they were largely responsible for enabling the R.A.S. to go international; they took care of New York City.

He knew that in light of recent events the Rangers had spent most of last month rescuing animals in the Gulf Coast. While her colleagues had pulled families from the sludge, Gadget Hackwrench had been working on a formula to remove oil from fur and feathers. The Rangers were overworked and exhausted – but their skills were needed now, and by more than just the suffering animals along the Gulf Coast. Briefly, Hardcastle wondered whether or not the Rangers were aware of the glimmerings of catastrophe around the world.

He shook it off. The end of the world is hardly the time to start doubting those you've never doubted before, Hardcastle sternly reminded himself. With a last look at the smoldering building he had worked in for so long, William Hardcastle sniffed loudly, and then slowly headed for the Rescue Ranger's Headquarters: Central Park.

*Tanzania, June 2010*

"It's an amazing game, Miss Marskov, amazing. Why I remember the last time I saw a match! The Bulldogs and St. Kilda played. Couldn't see half of the first bit, though. Some kid in front of me, jumping up and down in his Bulldogs jumper...thought I'd toss him to the dingos!"

Sophia Maskov smiled appreciatively at Jake Ross as he leaned across the lunchroom table and talked, grinning from ear to ear. She twiddled with the straw in her drink and tried not to giggle. She was trying to repress the urge to tell Jake that he reminded her very much of another Australian mouse, one Monterey Jack, who would have loved to meet him. She thought this very firmly, over and over, so as to control the giggle that was tickling the back of her mouth.

It happened too often when Jake smiled at her. Her heart threatened to flutter, her voice to giggle, and her cheeks to burn just as hot has her friend Gadget's. It was ridiculous that she should react the way to him, not when she had sent dozens of mice running with a single glare. She was Sophia Marskov. She avoided another of Jake's dazzling smiles by reaching for her compact. Abruptly, she was rescued by Tony, hollering from outside the mess hall.

"We're doing the river scene in five! Everyone to your places!"

Sophia ran a paw over the loose ponytail her ebony curls had been put in.

"You look great, Miss Marskov, if I may say so," Jake winked.

Sophia smiled back at him. He had a wonderful Australian accent. "Thank you," she murmured, and accepted his arm –her stomach swooped- and he led her out into the sun.

Five minutes later she was standing beside a small creek, which passed for a gigantic mouse-sized river. She clutched a photograph that was supposed to carry microfilm on the back of it. Her character was Tatyana Basilevsky, a Russian tourist who had gotten caught up in a deadly adventure in Africa. Playing opposite her was the up-and -coming Australian actor Jake Ross. He was portraying Aiden, who was currently supposed to be swinging across the river to rescue her.

"Are you all ready? Jake?"

"Roight-o!" he called back.

As the camera began rolling, Sophia caught a sudden glimpse of Endesha, their local guide and interpreter, gaping up at the knoll above them. He was terrified. In front of her, Jake jumped and swung across the river, but Sophia's attention was not on him.

There was a ring of fire falling out of thin air and into the movie set. Endesha's earlier warning echoed in her ears – the witches had found them.

With the camera rolling and nobody behind it, Sophia's scream was as real as it had ever been.

"I disapprove of this!" Jules shouted, stamping his foot against the hard, hot ground. Disapprove was too soft a word – incensed might have been closer to his true feelings, but Jules was beginning to understand how deep he had dug himself into this hole. There was money, influence, Kidari witches, and – _face it, old boy_ – a cat – surrounding him. Beside him, Fat Cat looked as though he was having his own second thoughts.

Being considerably taller than Jules, Fat Cat announced through a strangled voice, "She's all right. The other mouse has her, and they're moving away."

Jules fought down the bile rising in his throat and gazed towards the movie set in hopes of seeing anything distinct, but Asani, who was sitting on the ground muttering, cut off his view. A portion of his mind that was gradually sealing itself off had to admit that hiring a witch to coerce the locals was a stroke of brilliance. A somewhat clearer, but no less unfriendly part of his mind raged at him. _You're helping a criminal_ and _a witch now? You can't rationalize that away, Jules._ As if sensing his thoughts, Asani turned and smiled his toothy, twisted smile at him. Jules backed away instinctively. It wasn't just the locals being coerced by Asani – it was anyone who opposed Fat Cat.

Asani was a tall, lean mouse, with a greedy and dark look to his pointed face. His fur was dark and oily, and the bell-laden regalia he wore tinkled unpleasantly when he walked. He also smelled of something dark and foreign. Jules found him terrifying, and wished that instead he could have met the infamous Rat Capone in a dark alley.

Asani spoke to Fat Cat in his thin, high voice. "They will leave. All who do not will soon be very sick."

Asani did not elaborate on what exactly "sick" was, but Jules had seen enough of the witch to know that it was not likely to be something as easily solved as a simple stomachache. It might be a stomachache that required the services of another witch's remedy. Or perhaps they would simply go crazy. Trying desperately to repress a sudden vivid memory of reading _Heart of Darkness_ , Jules sidestepped Asani and went closer to the ledge they were observing from.

"If Sophia is not all right, Fat Cat, I will _not_ be pleased," he stammered vehemently. He felt it important that he emphasize this.

Fat Cat's eyes narrowed. "Nor I. I am counting on her to lure the Rangers to us, Jules. Anyone with two eyes can see that the world spins from Africa right now. Having the Rangers here, along with the visit I plan to have Rat Capone pay to our dear R.A.S friends, will make it very easy to finish them all off for good." He paused, and then began to back away hastily; even he had seen enough. "Now, I have to get back to the radio and tell Capone it's time to move in."

Jules took a deep breath and carefully exhaled. He did see a slight, dark-haired mouse and a tan mouse rushing away from the fire. A fire which did not seem to spread, but rather stayed in a perfect circle on the ground, scarring the earth. Sophia hated fire. Jules shuddered and wished he might run as well. He was terrified of Asani. He was also quite terrified of Fat Cat as well.

The dark hair rushed further away from the fire. Jules ached to follow her.

A/N: As you can see, the story is a bit complicated and thanks for hanging in there through the set up. I promise Rangery goodness in the next chapter. :)


	3. The Screaming Eagle and Russian Roulette

**The Screaming Eagle and Russian Roulette**

*New York City, Rescue Ranger Headquarters, June 2010* 

I stood up and admired my handiwork. Four months ago, the Rangers and I had come to the conclusion that while great for around-the-city flying, the Ranger Plane and Ranger Wing were not exactly ideal for international rescue attempts. So after returning from France in February, I had begun a blueprint for the ultimate Ranger Plane. I had worked on it intermittently, alternating between it and the Ranger Mobile II in my spare time, until the Gulf Coast oil spill in April. Our return from that, exhausted and disheartened, but relieved by R.A.S. members, had kicked me into gear. Our transportation was not only inadequate but laughable in the face of such large tragedies – we had to do better.

As soon as I had presented my initial plans to the Rangers, everyone had advice and suggestions. Dale, who had recently been watching a Star Trek movie marathon, had literally gotten on his knees and begged me to build a plane that had a cargo bay for an ATV. Chip had suggested we install a better GPS system than our previous planes. Zipper wanted a satellite radio, and Monty brought up the fact that as one of us frequently got separated from the group, we should microchip everyone while we were at it.

I stared up at the new plane and I knew I had not only done better, but had exceeded even my own rigorous expectations. I was exhausted, but happy. Maybe this would make Chip feel better too. He had been more affected by the oil spill than the rest of us. In fact, he was very nearly certifiably Sherlock Holmes-insane now. Every crime, every stock market fluke, every random act of God was now under question by him – it was a conspiracy theory in his head as elaborate as any I'd seen on X-Files with Dale. We were worried about him – he was seeing connections in crimes where there probably weren't any, and was lunging after every petty thief with a Monte Cristo vengeance. Our discovery a few weeks ago in the Happy Tom Cat Food factory had only added to his paranoia.

It seemed that for the past two years, Fat Cat had only been in town intermittently. In fact, he was only in the _country_ intermittently. We couldn't work out where he had gone yet, but according to his wall calendar, he had been spending a great deal of time somewhere else. Maybe he was moving his operations to France, had been Dale's thought. Chip had agreed that Fat Cat seemed to be moving somewhere else, but he also believed that the thug had been causing just enough havoc in New York when he was here to make us think he was _always_ here. Chip had spent two days afterwards in the top of our oak tree with a notepad. I wasn't quite sure how this added into his conspiracy theory, but it was worrying me sick.

Thinking of it made me frown at my visage in the highly polished body panel. He was overworking himself, being occasionally bonkers, but he was still himself. Except with me. I didn't want to admit it, but it was like he was losing interest. I just couldn't figure out why.

I shook my head hard. This would help. For the Rangers to be truly ready for any disaster, anywhere in the world, would help. I nodded firmly and opened the door to my workshop and hollered for him. What I was about to show Chip was the Ranger equivalent of Air Force One. She was two feet long, weighed in at fifteen pounds, and reached a top velocity of 65 miles an hour. It not only had a under cage with an ATV inside, but it also had radio, a fully functioning GPS system, Internet access, hover mode, night mode, and an air-soft gun – for fun.

"Chip! Come here!" I wandered into the dim hallway. It was late in the morning, and Monty, Dale, and Zipper had left to watch TV somewhere else that had cable.

"What is it?" he asked, joining me in the hall.

I grabbed his paw and grinned. "There's something I want to show you before everyone else sees it." I pulled him toward my workshop.

He laughed. "Have you been building more bombs?" he asked genially.

I shot him a glare. "You know that was an accident, Chip."

"Yeah, but you know I can't help it."

I rolled my eyes. "This won't explode. I won't allow it."

I led him through my workshop to the adjoining hangar, and flipped on the lights.

"It's finished?!" Chip gasped excitedly, now pulling me towards the plane.

I tried to be modest. "Yep. I've triple and quadruple checked every bolt and system. She's ready for her maiden voyage."

He dragged me around the nose of the gleaming plane, his eyes taking in every inch of the shining metal. I had scrubbed it until I could see my face in it, and there wasn't a paw print or smudge on it. When Chip saw the name, he stopped and looked at me knowingly.

" _The Screaming Eagle II_. I seem to remember a very special airplane with a similar name."

I smiled and looked up at the name I had lovingly etched into the side with my Dremel. Not only had I not shown the plane to anyone, I hadn't told anyone what I was going to name it. This was my baby, and I was going to call it what I liked.

"I wish your dad could see this, Gadget."

I nodded, my heart pumping harder. He hadn't said anything that – intimate – in a while. "Me too."

Chip squeezed my paw. "Take me inside?"

We looked at each other for a few seconds, weighing our grounding. He squeezed again. "I know I've been…distant…for a while."

"Everything is going to be okay, Chip. You'll work out this conspiracy theory yet," I added with a hopeful wink. That remark could go very badly.

He closed his eyes. "Something is _wrong_ , Gadget. I can feel it." He opened his dark eyes and looked at me. "Don't you ever get a sense of…impending doom? There may not be a good reason for it, but you just feel scared right down to your bones?"

I'd felt it before. "So scared your heart won't stop pounding and you're looking behind every wall and feeling like you're going to be murdered," I whispered. "I felt that a lot when I was living in the air hanger alone." I put my paw under his chin. We'd been over that ground many times before. "Just don't let it eat you up, Chip. Or us. Please don't let it eat us up."

His eyes were that brooding near-black color they were whenever he sensed trouble in his gut. I trusted that gut feeling of his, and I told him so.

He grabbed me roughly and hugged me hard. "Nothing is taking you from me," he said firmly. He sighed. "I'm sorry; I can't explain exactly why I'm like this - "

I hugged back. "It's all right. You're stuck with me."

He pulled back and blinked hard a few times. "It only took me forever to get you here," he chuckled, looking up at the plane again. "Show me?"

"Absolutely. Everyone should be really happy with it; this thing does every trick in the book," I announced, pulling Chip under the belly of the plane and pressing a button. With a soft whir of gears, the boarding ramp descended. I pointed as it came down. "See? Two carabineers for the Mobile's cage."

"You've got that done too?" Chip asked, a smile steadily growing on his face.

"Yes. All it needs is a name."

"I think I have a good name for it."

"What's that?" I asked, climbing up the ramp and into the plane.

Chip followed me up and waited while I flipped a switch that activated the two C9 bulbs in the rear of the plane. "I think I'll wait to tell you."

"Why?"

"I'm trying not to distract you, Hackwrench; I want to see this first," he laughed, using his pet name for me.

"Right!" Yes, I was distracted. Talking about my dad _and_ calling me 'Hackwrench.' We might actually be okay. "All right: back to front. These two C9s won't normally be on, because the cockpit and windows will let in a lot of natural light. Oh, and the windows are all tinted so we won't blind ourselves flying over snow again."

This met with an appreciative chuckled from Chip.

The _Eagle_ was set up like a real human plane with two front-facing seats in the cockpit and a large glass windscreen surrounding it. Behind the cockpit were two more chairs that swiveled on their platforms, and in the very back was a bench that could accommodate two more passengers, or an injured person lying down.

Chip spun one of the chairs. "Coooool."

He was playing dumb for me, and I knew it. Smirking, I walked past him to the pilot's seat and flipped a switch. The _Eagle_ came to life around us. I went back and flicked his cheek as I slid into the co-pilot side back seat. "This is the Research Station. The Pilot's Station is just…well, the Pilot's Station. The co-pilot's chair is the Tactical Station. Do you remember stealing four tracker chips from the vet?"

"Yes," he winced at the memory of the Ranger's attempt at out-patient surgery.

"I've hacked into Animal Control's database, and hooked us up to the Internet via a smartphone I salvaged. Providing we are in an area with Wi-Fi, we can now locate any missing Ranger at the press of a button." Using the touch screen that had accompanied the late smartphone, I accessed Animal Control's website and input Dale's chip code. Moments later, a map of the city appeared, placing Dale six blocks west of the park in an apartment complex.

Chip's eyes grew wide. "Wow..."

I stood up and pulled him to the co-pilot's chair. "This is where all the really great stuff is."

"The tracker is pretty cool already."

"I know, but this takes it to the next level." I picked up the microphone that was hanging off the side of the controls. "All the mics are hooked up to each other, and there's a wire in the fin of the plane that allows it to communicate across distances, and the Ranger Mobile-whatever-you-want-to-call-it has excellent reception up to five miles. I tried to boost it, but I figure that generally that should be plenty for us."

"That should be fine, Gadget. After all, the tracker in us shows up at over a mile, right? We can hone in on someone that way and then reestablish connection."

"Exactly. And just in case we're not somewhere with Wi-Fi, I programmed the chips to give off a specific radio frequency, so we can find anyone regardless of the Internet being up or not." I was jabbering a light speed, but for once, Chip didn't try and stop me. I continued. "I want you to learn all of this; you're usually the one who sits here." I slid out of the co-pilot's seat and into the pilot's, while Chip took his place at my right. He looked eagerly at the array of buttons and touch screens in front of him.

"Okay, press that touch screen."

Chip did, and it lit up brightly, as did a second screen in the middle of our consoles. "GPS!"

I grinned. "The latest technology. Dale will never get us lost again," I joked, recalling the time that he had accidentally wound us up in China by drifting too high into a wind current.

"This is GREAT!" Chip exclaimed, happily playing with the GPS. I watched fondly as he entered the address of the local police precinct, Central Park, and the grocery store. Chip had been quite vocal about wanting a better GPS system in our new plane, but at the same time had realized the difficulties incorporated in procuring one. His stand-by with humans was that if it wasn't necessary for survival, he wasn't going to steal it. That meant unless it was food or basic tools, the Rangers waited patiently and dumpster-dived a lot.

I had kept this particular find a secret from him since last Thanksgiving, even before I had the _Eagle_ planned. The local Radio Hut had a Black Friday special on their smallest GPS unit, which of course meant three days after Christmas one inevitably found its way into the dumpster after being processed as defective. The technicians at Radio Hut were incompetent. The GPS had only taken me two hours to repair and integrate into the console. Then again, handling the small computer chips and wires was easier for me than for a human.

Chip turned to me. "This is incredible. Anything else that I need to be astonished by?"

I smiled. "Well, if you look at the joystick on your right, you'll see that I've added some air-soft gun bullets for extreme circumstances. And if I hit this switch," I flipped one on the far left of my panel, "the exterior lights come on." LED lights flickered to life over each of the three main stations, and outside the Eagle, two more LEDs on the wing tips came on. On the Eagle's belly, the integrated Maglite lit up.

Chip stood up and leaned out over the dashboard to see the lights shining on the walls of the hangar. "So that's what that deflector dish looking thing does."

"You've been watching too much Star Trek with Dale."

"It's been known to happen," he laughed. "Anything else?"

"There are parachutes and survival kits underneath every chair, and if you flip the lever in the back corner of the Eagle, you'll find a first aid kit, hand warmer, a tent with sleeping bags, and glow stick."

Chip looked at me with sheer astonishment and pride on his face. He stood up and pulled me to my feet. "I can't begin to tell you how impressed I am. You're a genius… your dad has got to be completely jealous that he can't fly this."

I hugged him hard. I realized anew just how much I had come to rely on him. "Thank you," I mumbled into his jacket. "Now, what were you saying about the Mobile's name?"

Chip smiled cautiously. "I was thinking you could name it the _Geegaw_."

I didn't say anything for a minute, but a hot blaze was rising in my chest that told me Chip was absolutely right. "After my dad…yeah."

"It's because of him that the Rangers have you, anyway."

I was about to give into the tears at the back of my eyes when we heard the front door slam shut, and a huge commotion in the Conference Room. I swallowed the burning sensation in my throat, and let Chip drag me out of the hangar, through my workshop, and through the hallways to the Conference Room. Monterey Jack, Zipper, Dale, and a newcomer, obviously distressed, were gathered on the couch.

"Ah! There ya are – we was jus' gonna send Zipper after ya," Monty said, waving us over. "We picked this here fellah up on the way back from our movie."

A mouse taller than Monterey, and just as large, was sitting exhaustedly on our couch. His eyes were red from tears, and his fur was stained with ash and water. All of this made more pronounced the fact that his mustache was well-kept, the suit expensive, and his voice kind, though tired. I knew I'd seen him somewhere before, but I drew a blank. Chip knew him, though.

"Dr. Hardcastle," he spluttered, letting go of my paw and running over to the couch. "What's happened?!"

Dr. Hardcastle grabbed both of Chip's paws in his own and stared at him like a dying man. "They've burned down R.A.S. headquarters, Chip."

"They?" Dale asked loudly.

"Blimey - " Monty mouthed, and frowned at Dr. Hardcastle.

Now I remembered the chairman. We had spoken a few times in the past, and again before the Rangers had flown to Florida to help with the oil spill. He had always treated us very well – like an extension of the R.A.S – and Chip and he were on very good terms.

Chip's face hardened. "Who did?" he asked gravely.

The seriousness with which his desperate claim was met clearly gave Hardcastle courage. "I believe it was some members of Rat Capone's gang," he said quietly, "but it's not the sort of thing they would do out of the blue. I believe something much bigger is going on, Chip. I can't put a finger on it."

"Time is out of joint," Chip muttered. He looked up at Dale. "Would you get him some water, Dale? Thanks."

Dale scampered off, no doubt confused by the _Hamlet_ quote but appeased by Chip asking nicely. I sat down in a chair opposite the couch and leaned forward to listen.

Dr. Hardcastle looked deep into Chip's face and nodded heavily. "You've noticed, I can see that. I've had a nagging sensation for a long time that something is terribly wrong in the world, but each time something happens, I miss the bigger picture. I'm afraid we're going to reach a crisis soon, and then it will be too late."

Chip put a paw on the big mouse's shoulder. "Not on our watch, sir. Are your delegates all okay? Are the humans okay?"

Monty stood and turned on the TV, keeping it muted. A reporter was indeed standing in front of the Waldorf Astoria, with fire engines behind him.

"The humans evacuated, and the fire likely didn't damage more than a floor or two," Dr. Hardcastle said slowly. "My delegates ran – they will probably come back when the building is deemed safe and we will try to find some kind of action to take. But I can't tell where to take the action _to_ ," he moaned. "There is nowhere to turn." He looked as though he might be hysterical.

"Dr. Hardcastle," I asked softly. "Why don't you tell us some of the things that seem odd to you recently? Chip has been noticing, too."

He glanced over at me, looked for a moment, and then nodded. "You will no doubt remember the sudden crash in the stock market in 2008? We have not come back from it, and the MM is even worse."

"Yes," Chip prompted. "It's been awful. The whole economy has gone berserk."

I smiled grimly. "I'm glad we don't have to pay for gas."

"But the price 'o cheese 'as gotten near as bad as when Capone was swiping it all," Monty grumbled loudly.

Dale reappeared with a glass of water and handed to Dr. Hardcastle before plopping down on the rug in front of him like a school child ready to listen to a story.

Dr. Hardcastle nodded. "Yes, cheese and the rest of the MM are in a terrible state. If you will look carefully at the matter, you will find that the original MM trouble also came in 2008, when our local Lady Clutchcoin bought Tanzanite and gold mines in Tanzania," Dr. Hardcastle said patiently. "I believe that someone – not a human- saw this as an opportunity. Very quickly after she bought what promised to be a multi-million dollar mining deal, the mines ran dry, so to speak. At the same time, other mines around them, Tanzanite and gold, had the same problem."

He looked up and locked eyes with Chip. "You notice it has been quiet here? You will notice then that most of the regular trouble in town has quietly left? Fat Cat and most of his gang, for instance, and Rat Capone has been uncharacteristically quiet. I think they may have gone to Africa. To Tanzania."

I looked at him, fascinated. "And?" I coaxed.

"The coup in Tanzania last week," Chip breathed eagerly. I could almost see puzzle pieces in his mind being whipped into place.

"Yes," Hardcastle said miserably. "The mines, I believe, are being pilfered by non-humans, and it has thrown Tanzania into turmoil, both humans and otherwise. To say nothing of the stock market, of course." He sat back on the couch and sipped the water. "It has been overtaken. The gold industry, which so much of our economy balances on... and the oil. And the fish. What started as a rise in Tanzanite and gold prices in Africa has become a major fish shortage for Eastern American and Western Europe and Scandinavia. Contacts tell me that a few oil rigs in the Middle East are having similar issues...oil disappearing. And I am sure it is not humans who started it. And of course the oil spill in the Gulf..." He clutched the water glass so tightly I was afraid it would break. "But food and oil and riches! Please, these are things that humans will kill for! And I am afraid it has already started!"

He slumped forward and sobbed for a moment. Chip asked softly, "And the fire, Doctor?"

He raised his head, his eyes blazing. "The Society immediately sent delegates to Tanzania to help. They were kidnapped before they ever left New York, and are being held hostage. A ransom note arrived at the Astoria yesterday."

"They sound like terrorists, not thugs," Dale murmured, confused.

"I know. But I can't overlook the disappearance of the entire city's crooks at the same time, I just can't!" Hardcastle looked slightly hysterical. "And now they have burned us to the ground! I am sure they will come after you very soon, but you have to help us!"

Chip stood up and straightened his bomber jacket. "Don't worry, Dr. Hardcastle. The Rescue Rangers are on the case. We'll catch whoever this is!"

Dr. Hardcastle looked up at Chip with something in his eyes that might have been hope. "I wish you the best of luck, then."

At that moment, the telephone rang. Dale leapt up and ran across the room and hefted the receiver off. Static crackled through the room, followed by a faint, but very distinct, Russian accent.

"Uh, Gadget? I think it's for you."

I jumped after Dale and knelt beside the phone. "Sophia? Sophia? Can you hear me?"

At last, the static diminished, and I heard her burst into tears. "Gadget! We need your help!"

"Of course, Sophia. Just calm down -"

She sobbed hysterically. "Please Gadget…"

Dale grabbed my shoulder and shouted into the phone. "Sophia! Calm down, okay? Tell us what's wrong!"

For some reason, the sound of Dale's voice did calm Sophia somewhat, and she stopped sobbing. "Dale…Gadget… I am in Tanzania, in Africa."

I hit my forehead with the palm of my paw. A coup in Tanzania last week, I had known she was there, and I hadn't even bothered to try and contact my friend? I determined to feel guilty later. "Your film. Is it the coup?"

"No…witches found us."

"Witches?" I asked blankly. A sudden image of an old hag on a broomstick filled my mind.

"You mean like with a broom and a cat and stuff?" Dale asked Sophia.

"No…real witches. I was filming with Jake, and suddenly a ring of fire came down. It did not spread, it just burned where it was. We ran, and our guide, Endesha, said we must leave the country."

"So why didn't you?" I asked, still trying to wrap my mind around witches.

"I…I became very ill. Our guide said I had been witched…" Sophia broke down again and began rambling on in Russian.

"Sophia! Hey – you know I don't speak Russian!" I shouted, trying to break through to her. The rest of the Rangers and Dr. Hardcastle were now crowded around the phone, looking pale.

Monty whistled softly. "Witches…that ain't good…"

I gave him a desperate look, and then Chip knelt down next to me. "Sophia? It's Chip…okay, did the guide tell you where you can get help?" I praised the heavens that Chip kept his cool logic in the face of fire.

"Yes…yes. He is taking Jake and myself to his village for his witch doctor to cure." She sounded astonished to hear the words coming from herself. "He told us before we began filming that it was dangerous to be here now. He said there was a dispute going on between two witches."

"All right, Sophia. You stay with the guide; he knows more about witches than any of us. Other than that, are you safe?"

Again, her voice stuttered. "I – I am not certain. I think Jules is here, I think I saw him…"

I looked gravely at Chip, who pushed his hat back and shook his head. "We understand. Sophia, we're going to come and get you, okay?" He looked back at me. "Gadget, how soon can we get there?"

I mentally ran over the airport's schedule for the day. "There's a plane that goes to France this afternoon, and if we can make it, a plane from France to Zanzibar tomorrow evening."

"Gadget says we can make it to the coast by Wednesday morning. Tell your guide to meet us at the airport in Zanzibar and he can show us the way to the village."

"Yes. Thank you, Chip. Gadget. Dale. Monterey. Zipper…" She did not sound well.

"Sophia, do what Chip told you to, all right? Promise me."

Sophia rallied. "Of course. Yes. Oh, my head…." She trailed off again, and there was silence. We all shouted into the phone. Moments later, another voice issued through the residual static.

"Hallo? Hallo? Um, Rangers?"

"Yes," Chip replied bracingly. "Where's Sophia?"

"I'm Jake, she mentioned me… Roight-o, this witch, he, uh, well, witched us, so we're both sick… Sophia's got a headache the size 'o Ayers Rock. I'll stay with 'er, no worries."

Behind us, Dr. Hardcastle gasped. "Wait…Jake? Jake Ross?"

"Roight. Say, 'o's this?"

"I'm Dr. Hardcastle, from the Rescue Aid Society!"

"I met o couple o you're mice a while back down under-" He paused and groaned. "Sorry, I'm not feelin' the best roight now either."

Chip cut Dr. Hardcastle off. "We understand. Jake, make sure Sophia gets to that village, and that your guide meets us at the airport in Zanzibar on Wednesday morning, all right?"

"Gotcha. Boy am I glad someone can think roight now, because me head's juz poundin'…"

The phone clicked off, signaling he had hung up. Dale and I stood up, and all of us faced each other.

"You understand now what is wrong?" Dr. Hardcastle said. "And while you are rescuing your friend, don't forget that the rest of the world is counting on you too. I am going back to the Waldorf Astoria to see if I can round up any of the delegates, and we will try to get up and running smoothly again and see if we can free our agents."

"Right." Chip pulled his fedora back down into position. "All right, Rangers, get the supplies into the hangar, Gadget's got a little surprise for you." He paused and looked at me. "It does work, right?" he asked faintly.

"Yes. I triple and quadruple checked everything, and you saw it. It works fine -"

"With no problems," the rest of the Rangers chorused. I frowned.

"We love you," Chip said flippantly. "All right, let's go! Rescue Rangers away!"

The team broke, and Dr. Hardcastle shook Chip's paw and left, looking just as haggard, but more hopeful than when he entered. I hurried to the hangar and pressed the button to open the bay doors. Sunlight flooded in and the _Eagle_ glimmered. Seconds later, Chip dashed in the door, carrying my toolbox.

"Do you want this, Hackwrench?"

"Yes, thanks," I answered, hurrying around the _Eagle_ undoing the fasteners that had held it to the floor during construction.

"And Gadget? Don't do what you did last time we ran off to rescue Sophia, okay?"

/RR/

A/N: Please read and review. Also, I own nothing except Sophia. And possibly the Screaming Eagle II, but I think Gadget would fight me for it, and I would let her win.


	4. The Road to Zanzibar

_As always, I own nothing much here. :) Nothing, that is, except a fondness for Bing Crosby/Bob Hope road shows..._

 **The Road to Zanzibar**

The sunlight danced through the hangar, momentarily blinding me. The rest of the Rangers appeared, lugging various bags and things. At the sight of the _Screaming_ _Eagle II_ , dazzling black in the sunlight, its name and Rescue Rangers insignia proudly gleaming, they stopped.

Dale's jaw dropped. "We're….we're riding in _this?!_ "

I giggled as I dashed past him, pulling loose more lines holding the _Eagle_ in place. "Unless you'd rather take the _Ranger Plane_."

"No…no, this is fine…" He gulped for a few moments, then his senses returned and he lugged the two duffel bags he was holding up the waiting ramp.

As I finished pulling loose the lines, Monty stopped me. "Gadget-luv, it's bonzer. Yeh're dad would be proud."

I hugged him. "Thanks."

Zipper nuzzled my cheek affectionately, buzzing his astonishment. I laughed as his wings tickled me, and patted his head. "Thanks, Zipper."

Chip appeared beside us. "Speaking of your dad, Gadget, are we bringing…?"

"Yes! Is everyone in here ready?"

Dale stuck his wide-eyed face out of the _Eagle_. "Gadzooks, Chip, have you _seen_ this thing? And yes, we're ready…"

"All right, everyone in!" I cried, and pulled on Chip's jacket. "He's in the Mobile's garage. The keys are in the ignition."

Chip's face broke into a grin. "Thanks," he said and ran out the open hangar door and descended the tree to bring the newly christened _Geegaw_ out of the garage. The Rangers seated themselves somewhat uncertainly in their new chairs, eyes wide. I pressed the button and the ramp retracted halfway. With a deep thrum, the _Eagle_ rose several inches off the hangar floor and glided out of the hangar. The _Geegaw's_ cage was resting on the branch just outside the hangar. Carefully, I maneuvered into position above it and picked it up. It swung slightly, and the _Eagle_ lost a little altitude.

"I'm ready, Gadget," I heard Chip's voice crackle through the microphone hanging off my console.

I caught Monty grinning at me as I picked up the mic and put it on. "Roger than, Chip. We're coming down."

Monty, Zipper, and Dale all stood up and leaned out the windows as I lowered the _Eagle_ until the open cage was at ground level. The old remote control Hummer, now the _Geegaw_ , roared to life and emerged, glistening, from the garage.

"Rangers, meet the _Geegaw_ , our newest Ranger Mobile."

"It's a _Hummer_!" was Dale's astonished remark.

"The Geegaw?" Monty repeated. "As in-"

I glanced back at him. "Yes. Chip named it." I couldn't help flushing with pride as I watched the _Geegaw_ roll forward.

"This thing is excellent," Chip laughed through the microphone. "How do I get in into the cage?"

I flipped a switch and the cage's ramp lowered. "Hop in."

The _Geegaw_ rumbled out of sight and into the cage. A few moments later I heard scrambling and turned to see Chip climb aboard. "He's in the cage."

Another flip of the switch and the cage closed, another button and the ramp was safely tucked into the _Eagle's_ floor. Chip slid into the co-pilot's chair, beaming at me. I grinned triumphantly, fighting down the urge to cheer. "The Rangers are ready when you are, Chief."

He looked back at the others. As if on cue, they all shouted together.

"Rescue Rangers away!"

The wee hours of Wednesday morning found the Rangers and me sleeping off jet lag on flight 1701 from Paris to Zanzibar.

"Hey guys…wake up." Chip was calling us, and my head slipped off the headrest, slowly sliding from the Chip in my dream to the Chip standing beside me in the _Eagle_. Behind me, I heard Monty, Zipper, and Dale mumble as they slowly came to.

"Come on, it's been two hours," Chip said. "We'll be there soon, and we need to be awake."

"Awake bein' a relative term," Monty yawned, stretching hard in the seat behind me. "'Oi 'ave to say though, Gadget-luv, these seats is much more comfortable fer sleepin' in than them in the _Plane_."

"Thanks," I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. I sighed and popped my neck, trying to clear my head. I watched Dale as he nodded and nodded, asleep at the Research Station, until he tumbled to the floor.

"What? What's goin' on? Where are we? Oh -" he blinked in surprise as the rest of us and climbed back into his chair.

I swiveled back to my controls and began pressing buttons. The _Eagle_ awoke more quickly than the rest of us. Looking out the window I could see the _Geegaw's_ cage next to us on the plane's cargo floor. Given how groggy everyone was, I was glad I had debriefed them on the _Eagle's_ various stations before we'd all fallen asleep.

"What was the name of the mouse who is supposed to meet us in Zanzibar?" I asked, busily running through my pre-flight check.

"Endesha," Monterey remembered, leaning to the front seat. "A Kidari guide, by the sound of it."

"Whuzza Kidari?" Dale asked, also leaning forward.

"Them's the locals, pally. They live in the area o' the film set. Endesha was the guide and interpreter for the movie crew our Sophia was workin' on."

"I don't know," Chip said guardedly, making sure the GPS was operational, "after hearing Jake and Sophia talk about witches...it seems fishy to me."

"Sounds scary to me," Dale answered flatly, likely remembering his run-in with Winifred.

"Come on, Chip," I reasoned, finishing the pre-check. "You've been a Rescue Ranger long enough to believe in witches. I mean, look at it: we've met a genie, a ghost, a banshee, a mummy, a seer, _and_ a witch. After all that you can't go and say you don't believe in witches."

Chip frowned. "I didn't mean fishy that way, I meant that if Fat Cat really is here, and is responsible for Sophia and Jake, then he's teamed up with a witch. That seems to be really stooping low for him. He seems desperate."

"It still sounds scary," Dale reiterated.

I thought about it for a few more moments and stared at the GPS screen across from me. Fat Cat was definitely the most intelligent of our foes, and he was capable of running a big-time operation. But Chip and Dale were right. Pulling in a witch was desperate and terrifying. And the only reason he would target Sophia was to lure us in. But how would he know about Sophia knowing us? And not just knowing us, but being my friend – to the point that the Rangers would drop everything and come get her again. Then again, we had in the past gone to help her without knowing her. And even then, the only reason we had gone that time was because Sophia's butler, Jules Crissen, had been in with Bubbles and wanted to knock me off...

But Fat Cat didn't need an informant to tell him to target Sophia. He knew we would come because that's just what we do.

"Chip, you know this is a trap, right?" I asked him quietly.

He glanced back at the other three before responding. "Yes." He waited for a moment, then fished in his jacket and brought out a very worn casebook, full of his conspiracy scribblings. "I've been thinking about it, Gadget... Have you noticed that while we've seen Fat Cat off and on over the past couple of years, he hasn't necessarily seen _you_?"

I mulled this over for a moment. "So –?"

He looked at me carefully. "I think he thinks you're dead."

That caught me off-guard. "Wait. Just because he hasn't seen me, doesn't mean he thinks I'm dead. I don't think he pays that much attention to us individually anyway. And the only people who think I'm dead are Bubbles, and Jules, and those creepy ninjas."

"Exactly. Jules."

"And _he_ might be dead, Chip. Monty and Dale knocked a safe over on him. And if he is alive, how on earth would he fall in with Fat Cat?"

Chip grabbed my paw and went on, his eyes a little darker than usual. "Sophia said she thinks she saw him. It's possible, Gadg. We need to be careful."

Our tet-a-tet was interrupted by a voice announcing our arrival at the Zanzibar airport. Chip let go of my paw and pocketed his notepad. The plane was about to drop its landing gear, and I needed my wits about me. This was the first time I was going to drop out an airplane without a rocket.

"Is there going to be a rocket this time?" Chip asked, sounding almost bored.

"No," I answered, surprising him, and flipped a few last switches as the sound of the plane's hatch opening filled the cockpit.

"That's got to be a first," he said.

"Are you all right? I thought you didn't like the rockets."

"Well, you haven't killed us yet...and it _was_ exciting."

For a moment, neither of us spoke then on cue, both of us burst out laughing, much to the dismay of the other three in back.

"Great. She's rubbin' off on 'im," Monterey muttered, and cinched his belt tighter.

Chip was about to retort, when the cargo bay was suddenly flooded by light. I gave my customary warning of, "Hold onto your goggles!" then engaged the engines and hovered upwards to retrieve the cage next to us. I took a deep breath, sending up a prayer to whatever it was out there that might look after five small do-gooders.

The _Eagle_ hovered above the opening for a few seconds as I watched the distant tarmac below us whipping by. Then, holding my breath, I released hover mode and put the proverbial pedal to the metal. The _Eagle_ and it's swinging cargo easily matched time with the airplane. We dropped lower, and I eased back on the throttle, letting the bigger plane pass the _Eagle_ and touchdown.

Behind me, Monty chuckled. "I 'ave ta say, Gadget-luv, that's a big improvement over th' rocket."

"It's not as fun," I bemoaned, glancing back at him.

For some reason, this amused him. "Remoinds me 'a the firs' time I got inta Geegaw's plane. 'Don' scream', 'e said – 'laugh.'"

I smiled. "He told me that, too."

We hovered low over the sand just west of the tarmac. Chip leaned forward and searched the ground. "I see a mouse over there…yes. Lower the ramp and I'll help him in." He rose and crept carefully down the lowered ramp. I heard him shout something, and a few moments later he reappeared, with a dark mouse in tow. I retracted the ramp and turned to look at him.

The dark mouse, lean and slightly older than myself, smiled broadly at us. "I am Endesha. I am here to meet the Rescue Rangers," He grinned and winked congenially at Chip.

Chip shook his paw. "I'm Chip, and you found us all right. This is Dale, and Monterey Jack, and Zipper, and Gadget."

Endesha smiled at all of us, his teeth incredibly white against his black fur. "I am pleased to meet you. You wish to go to the Kidari village where your friends are?"

"Yes," Dale said, bobbing up and down somewhat anxiously.

"If you'd like to sit up front, you can show us the way," Chip offered, and led Endesha to the copilot's seat. He took it, and looked over the controls.

"This is marvelous, Rangers," he said quietly, looking curiously at everything.

"Compliments of our resident inventor," Chip said, nodding toward me.

"A true marvel!" Endesha reiterated, nodding vigorously at me. "Much better than our old crop dusting planes. And now, I will show you how to reach the village. It is near the Olduvai Gorge – do you know it?"

Chip leaned past him and pressed a button on the GPS. A line from our position in Zanzibar appeared, and stretched northwest out of view. "353.07 miles," a stilted female voice informed us.

" _Three hundred and fifty three miles_!" Dale exclaimed, rising from his chair.

"Don't worry," I said. "The _Eagle_ has a top cruising speed of 65 miles per hour. We should get there in five and a half hours."

This did not seem to mollify Dale, who turned dejectedly back to the Research Station. Three minutes later, when Dale realized I had left the smartphones's MP3 capabilities intact, I realized it was going to be a _very_ long flight.


	5. The Case of the Mysterious Miner

_As always, I own nothing: no Rangers, no Pink Floyd... "I see nothing, I hear nothing..." Yes, thank you, Schultz._

 **THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS MINER**

Five and a half ear-splitting hours later, all of us with shredded nerves and burning anticipation at seeing Sophia, I flew the _Eagle_ low into a clearing just outside the Kidari village. Dale had insisted on classic rock music for most of the flight, and when Chip finally lost his patience and whirled to snap at him, Dale had astonished all of us.

"Don't say it, Chip," he had growled and turned down the volume substantially. "The noise helps me stop worrying."

Completely deflated, Chip had asked him to repeat himself.

"I'm worried about Sophia," Dale had huffed, and folded his arms and swiveled away from his friend. Apparently, Dale was a lot more worried than any of us had given him credit for.

We dropped the cage and touched down. In the late afternoon sun, I saw a small swarm of mice coming from the village. "Endesha, they've seen airplanes before, right?" I asked, trying to politely assuage my sudden fear. The last time a group of locals had gotten ahold of one of my planes was not among my more pleasant memories.

Endesha chuckled. He, at least, had seemed to enjoy the music. "They will not touch the plane – we have crop dusting planes ourselves, near the mine."

I sighed with relief. "Good. Once in South America, a Kiwi Cult stole our plane. It was a nightmare."

"Seriously," Dale dead-panned from the Research Station.

I didn't bother to reply, my mind no longer on the plane or Pink Floyd. I wanted to see Sophia. Now. I rushed past the rest of the Rangers and down the ramp, only to be met by a crowd of villagers, all looking at the _Eagle_ and me with wide eyes. Endesha appeared at my side and spoke to the crowd in his own language. When he finished, the villagers slowly moved away, back to their lives.

"I told them you are the Rangers and are here to help, but first you would like to see your friends."

The rest of the Rangers appeared around us – Zipper so exuberantly that he pinged off my head and went spinning away - and I asked where Sophia was. Endesha took my paw and pulled me down the ramp. "I'll take you to her. There are some rules you will need to know about the village, but they can wait until you've seen Sophia. I promise, Mwamba, our witch, will have cured her."

He led me through the village, past small huts that would admit only four or five mice at a time. Surrounding these huts were small gardens, with twig fences around them. We passed about ten of these little homesteads before Endesha pulled on my arm and steered me towards a hut with a slightly larger yard around it. "Mwamba's," he said.

As one, the Rangers and I broke away from Endesha and rushed up to the low doorway of the hut, finally halting. Were we supposed to knock? Walk in? Endesha chuckled and worked his way around us, ducking his head into the door. "Mwamba? The two here have visitors."

A hearty voice answered him in the local language, and Endesha pulled back from the door. "They will come out now."

We backed up, and moments later, Sophia and another mouse emerged from the hut, followed by the dark mouse who must have been Mwamba. Sophia looked stable enough, so I flung myself at her and hugged her hard.

"Gadget! Oh, I am most pleased to see you!" She returned my hug, then pulled back to look at me. It had been a long time since we had seen each other, and it was immensely good to see her again.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," I exclaimed, grinning. "Are you all right? Are you cured?"

"Yes, thanks to Mwamba, Jake and I are better." She turned to indicate the two mice standing next to her.

For the first time, I got a decent look at Jake and Mwamba. Jake was unmistakably the other actor. He was a very suave Australian kangaroo mouse with a winning smile and a jaunty look about him. The mouse next to him was tall, with dark black fur and a firm and kind face. This must be Mwamba.

He was a middle-aged mouse with deep black fur and a brightly contrasting smile. His red garment was slung over his right shoulder and around his waist. A series of small copper bells hung from a belt, which tinkled pleasantly when he moved.

Chip stepped forward and shook Jake's hand, introducing all of us, and then turned to Mwamba, not sure if a handshake was the proper mode of introduction. Mwamba smiled and fluidly offered his paw to Chip, and held it firmly. "I am Mwamba, the local witch here."

"Thanks for helping Sophia," I said, unable to contain my gratitude that Sophia was indeed all right.

He bowed slightly in my direction. "Of course." He had the deep, clipped British accent that most English-speaking African mice I had met had, except his was richer, and full of a certain something that bespoke authority.

"Yes, thank you again," Jake said, speaking for the first time. His accent was even more pronounced than it had been over the phone. "And it sure is nice to meet you folks, Sophia's been telling me all about you." His voice dripped with an energy and enthusiasm that even Dale would have trouble matching. He pumped each of our paws several times, nodding as he did so. He gave me a roguish wink too, before moving on to Dale. Beside me, Chip visibly fumed. He hated the "competition," as he called it, from other young men.

When Jake came to Monty, it was clear that the two of them were kindred spirits, and not just because of their hometown. They shook hands and within seconds had developed a witty rapport.

Endesha broke through the ceaseless chatter that was developing. "I will show you to your huts," he said, and began leading us away from Mwamba's hut. I trailed behind with Sophia, our arms around each other's waist. Jake broke away from Monty for a moment and lagged behind with us.

"Well now," he said to me with a wink, "you're the pretty friend Sophia was telling me about."

I saw Chip glance over his shoulder at me. I looked at Sophia. "Thanks..."

"But unless you wish to be hamstrung by a certain chipmunk, I suggest you maintain your distance," Sophia finished matter-of-factly for me, looking pointedly at Chip.

"Oh! Well, I am sorry," he said, bowing to me and smiling fluidly, as if he had expected rejection but was bound to try anyway. "Should have known such a pretty girl was taken!" And he winked at me again and bounced back toward Monty.

"Do you like him?" The question was out of my mouth before I could stop it. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked that."

Sophia gave me a puzzled look. "Why ever not? You are my friend and may ask what you wish. I suppose I am attracted to him. He is very engaging and handsome, very kind. But I am not sure he is right for me." She paused. "How is Dale?"

I laughed. "Just as spacey and exuberant as always."

Our odd caravan reached a set of two huts near each other, some distance from the village. They were the same as all the other huts, except that there were no gardens or fences.

"This is where the visitors must stay," announced Endesha. "It may be a little snug, but I hope you do not mind." He turned to Chip. "Myself and Mwamba will come back after we have spoken with our Chief to discuss options. Since you are from outside, I must ask that you speak only to Mwamba or myself for a day – to keep the village from contamination."

We nodded, somewhat culture-shocked, and watched Endesha walk back into the village. Chip waited for a moment, then straightened his hat. "All right, you ladies take the hut closer to the village; Monty, Jake, and Zipper take the bigger one over there. Dale and I will sleep outside."

Seemingly glad to have a permanent place of residence again, Sophia started pulling me towards our hut. As I passed Chip, I muttered, "I think you should bring the tent down from the _Eagle_. Bad things tend to happen when we sleep under the stars."

He chuckled. "Right. The last thing we need is to get turned into zombies by mosquitoes again."

Endesha and Mwamba returned around an hour later, with three women in tow. All three were carrying large baskets on their heads. They came into the yard and Endesha quickly made a fire and the women set the baskets around it and left.

"Our Chief says not to worry about food," Endesha called, motioning for all of us to join him around the fire. We seated ourselves and he began passing the baskets around. "We are happy to bring you food while you are here helping us."

Realizing I was ravenous, I followed Sophia's lead and took some seeds from the first basket, and yams from the second. The third proved to contain water. "They boil it for us," she murmured as she passed it to me.

After we had all eaten and were feeling somewhat revived, Chip decided it was time to get down to business. He looked at our hosts. "Thank you. We didn't just come to pick up a friend, though. We've come to see what's going on in the mine. We think whatever is going on in your mine is linked to a lot of terrible things that have been happening around the world."

Mwamba looked interested. "Yes. The mine is being robbed by non-humans, who are being protected by Asani. Asani is the witch that darted your friends. He and I are…in dispute."

"What does that mean?" Chip asked hesitantly.

Mwamba looked off into the distance. "We are the only two witches for many miles. We knew each other, once. Asani now protects those in the mine, and I protect those who live near the mine."

It sounded so simple when he said it. Chip and I exchanged a glance, and Dale edged closer to his friend.

"I will do my best to keep my struggle with Asani away from you," Mwamba told us, smiling. "Please do continue."

The rest of us were somewhat speechless, but Monterey held up a paw. "I dunno if you gals 'ave already discussed it tagether, but I know I wouldn't moind hearin' what 'appened again, now that you're well."

Dale leaned forward eagerly. "Yeah, Sophia, tell us the story."

I was curious to hear it myself, minus the interference of a long-distance phone call and the symptoms of a witch's curse.

Sophia and Jake exchanged glances, and he motioned for her to continue. "Earlier this week, Jake and I were preparing to film a scene in which his character swings across a river to save mine from spies coming to capture me."

"Cool," breathed Dale.

Sophia smiled at him before continuing. "As our director, Tony, called for action, and Jake swung across the river, I looked up in the sky and saw a large ring of fire descending, with myself at the center of it. I was sure I was going to be caught in it and trapped – I hate fire. But Jake reached me before the fire landed, and pulled me away. As we ran, I looked up on the knoll opposite our location, and saw three figures. One of them was seated – I think he was the witch. Another was very tall and large, and appeared like a cat." She waited for a moment, playing with the cuff of her khaki pants. "And a third figure, who looked like Jules." She looked at me. "I recognized his suit coat." Her voice trailed off and she seemed unable to continue. Jake took up the story.

"Endesha got us all away all roight, an' packed the film crew an' Tony up an' put 'em on the next plane back to England. They was feelin' all right, but they hadn't been near the fire. Sophia an' I – we got sore 'eads like you wouldn't believe. We called you then, from the airport, 'an then 'e brought us 'ere on a human tour bus to see Mwamba. And I'm roight glad 'e did, too."

There was silence for a moment, then Chip asked, "Sophia, can you show us this knoll? I'd like to look for pawprints, but I'm definitely sure it's Fat Cat and Jules we're dealing with."

"Of course. I can take you whenever you like."

"Thanks." He straightened his coat and looked around. "Could you tell us what's been happening to your village and the other villages around the mine?" He asked Mwamba. "Then we'll tell you how we think this all fits together in the bigger picture."

Mwamba and Endesha consulted for a moment in their own language, before looking back at Chip. Endesha spoke.

"I will tell the story. Mwamba speaks English well but has not used it for some time. Around two years ago, the mines near here, those that produce gold, began to loose money. Some of the surrounding villages work in the mines; we send the gold to some mice in Zanzibar who quietly 'help' the humans make decisions about where the safari parks will go. We wish to be left alone and not have a human road come through here. We also sell the gold for farming equipment for the other villages, which have larger farms.

We believed the mines were running dry, and that we would have to find a new way of buying supplies for farming. Mwamba and I were sent to the mine to investigate. We found that non-humans were robbing the gold and keeping it. They had employed Asani, who is a very bad witch, to scare us. He began making the villagers who would not stay away sick, just as with Jake and Sophia. Asani said that he was being paid by a very rich American cat. Asani is evil, and will happily direct his magic at other people for no reason. Mwamba tried very hard to keep up with Asani and cure the other villages, but Asani became too much for him."

Mwamba interrupted here. "If a witch cannot cure when he needs to, he is said to have lost his powers and is disgraced. If I had not been able to cure your friends here, I would have had to leave the village. The only reason I am here still is that they believe I may be able to slow Asani if he should try to attack this far away from the mine. I assure you, I have not lost my powers. But I am not strong enough to get close enough to shoot darts into Asani. Only a very powerful witch can frighten him."

"Now tell us, Rangers, how our problems here with our mine hurt the world," Endesha finished, "and why there has been a coup in the human cities here." He looked expectantly at Chip.

I looked at him in the firelight too. This was probably the moment he had been waiting for: the moment when he could possibly start making sense of all the conspiracy theories in his head. I trusted his gut about everything being connected, but I couldn't see it yet. Of course, I hadn't spent every spare moment making nearly unintelligible notes in a notepad.

Chip tugged at his collar and cleared his throat.

[TBC]


	6. Plans for World Domination

_CCRR are owned by Disney._

 **Plans for World Domination**

Chip spoke slowly, methodically, and used diagrams, charts, and lists from his case book to explain everything. He stopped frequently to expand on something that Mwamba wasn't familiar with. I was dimly aware via my peripheral vision that the Rangers' jaws were going slack, and eyes were widening. Monterey removed his hat and twisted it nervously. Sophia had grabbed hold of Dale's sleeve and was crumpling it repeatedly while Dale blinked again and again at his best friend. The story was unbelievable. Only Sherlock Holmes, Agent Mulder, or a brilliant theorist (which Chip was) could have managed to make sense of it. But what it boiled down to was this:

First, about two years ago in 2008, Lady Clutchcoin had bought into diamond and tanzanite mines in Tanzania. Fat Cat, being greedy, had taken his goons and followed her here, then found a way to pilfer the mines nearly dry. Now he was using a witch to keep the locals at bay.

Second, the human stock market and the MM had sunk into a bad recession. There were shortages on key items like oil and food. The recession alone wasn't anything for us to worry about, but the shortages, Chip believed, were the key. Capone had once drained the entire state of New York's cheese supply single-handedly. What had he wanted for it? Gold. Fat Cat had once drained the eastern seaboard's supply of fish. What had he wanted for it? Gold. Captain Finn had also wrecked havoc by destroying coastal fish deliveries and attempting to demolish dams and most of Sea Land. He had simply been crazy.

Of all the villains who had made temporary dents in the stock market from time to time, Fat Cat was the one who could pull them all together in a crime syndicate and cause the most damage. Chip reasoned that Capone would gladly steal cheese and gold again for a large cut of the percentages. Fat Cat could afford to pay him well, because he had his own gold mine.

Chip wasn't sure how Fat Cat had got Captain Finn into the syndicate, but he was convinced it was _his_ work. Fishers in Scandinavia coming up empty week after week, pushing the price of fish up. Sea-based oil rigs running dry – and the one off the Gulf Coast breaking. Classic insane Captain Finn.

The stock market was backed by currency, which in the large parts of the world was backed by gold. But with Capone draining the gold, and Finn draining the supply, the market was in peril.

He added on to these catastrophes the current rash of artwork and artifacts going missing in Europe, and said that Fat Cat may have enlisted his cousin, Maltese de Sade. After all, if Fat Cat was becoming the richest animal in the world, and not doing too poorly on a human scale, he would need lavish things to decorate his surroundings with.

It was a stunning revelation. I could see it now, all the pieces put together. The random events weren't contained – Fat Cat was the force at the center. What astonished me perhaps most of all was that he wasn't just hurting the animals, he had managed to hurt the humans. And no one had suspected him.

"What about the fire at the Waldorf?" Monty asked fearfully.

Chip sighed. "I think it looked like Capone's gang. I think it was Fat Cat's stab at making sure other animals didn't catch onto his plan. If he immobilizes the Rescue Aid Society _and_ us, which is what I think he's doing bringing us here, then there's really no one left to stop him."

This announcement was met with profound silence. After a time though, Sophia peered at him questioningly. "And Jules is likely here. Where does he come in?"

"Well, the last time any of us saw Jules was on the coast of France. I don't know how he got to Africa, but I do know his being here at the same time you were filming gave Fat Cat the perfect opportunity to lure us in."

"So this is a trap!" Dale gasped, leaning forward.

Zipper buzzed frantically around Monty's head, beating his tiny fists in the air as if just asking for Fat Cat to show himself so he could sock him.

Chip nodded grimly. "Yes, it's a trap. But it hasn't closed, and we can still turn it on him. And on that note," he glanced over at me. "Jules is here. And Jules thinks Gadget is dead. So Fat Cat will too – which I hope we can use to our advantage."

"Advantage?" I asked, frowning at him.

He nodded. "You're the mechanic, the engineer. We couldn't do half of what we do without you, and Fat Cat's smart enough to know it. He probably thinks we barely made it here, that we're minus all the inventions and transportation we usually have, and is underestimating us."

"That's jes gonna make our job all the easiuh," Monty determined, slamming a fist into his paw. "So what's the plan, pallies?"

"Fat Cat is hiding behind Asani right now," Chip mused. "There's got to be some way to get past him."

"That's a stroke of genius, using a witch to frighten people into submission so you can rob them blind," I said, looking up at the sun.

"The only thing that would shake Asani is another witch," Mwamba said. "And I am the only witch around, and I would need to get very close to him to hurt him."

I may have been imagining it, but Mwamba seemed to be watching me very interestedly.

There was silence for a few moments. Then Chip spoke slowly. "What would Asani consider magic? What about technology?"

Mwamba smiled at him. "You said yourself she is your...mechanic." He spoke the word slowly. "Asani is a little afraid of technology when it is not used by humans. Is your heart strong?" He looked at me as he asked it.

I was confused. "Strong?"

"Can it withstand Asani?"

"I – I don't know?" I determined that he likely wasn't asking about my pulmonary system, but rather being metaphoric.

"She's brave, if that's what you mean," offered Chip.

I felt myself blush. "Not that brave," I said, ducking my head.

"You's a Rescue Ranger, lass," Monty said fondly.

"And you were brave the last time we met Jules," Sophia added, touching my arm.

Mwamba regarded me quietly. "I can see that your heart is strong. Possibly you can believe that too; perhaps strong enough to startle Asani."

"Well," Chip cut in, probably feeling that the conversation was moving away from the objective, "I don't think that Fat Cat will have anyone else except his usual gang with him. He seems pretty confident with just Asani for protection."

"He is all he needs," Mwamba muttered.

"Mwamba, you said that the villagers were starting to doubt your powers. If we could get enough of them here to watch you help us take down Fat Cat and Asani, would they believe in you again?"

He contemplated Chip for a moment. "It is not the purpose you came here for, but I would appreciate it. How do plan to 'take down' Fat Cat and Asani?"

"You mentioned you and the other villages were farms, and that there were crop dusting planes. Any chance you have old equipment lying around?"

Endesha spoke for the first time since Chip began. "Yes. Not far from here there is a field where we keep old crop dusting planes, some tractors. But they are very old – probably from the Second World War."

At the word 'planes' my brain engaged. "Chip, if I could look at those old planes I could probably get them working again. I could rig one to fly through the mine shafts and set off explosives to seal off any leaks Fat Cat is using to steal gold."

"Great. Monterey Jack – you and Zipper and Jake can go to some of the neighboring villages and bring them here. Tell them to be here by Sunday. The mine will be closed for humans that day, and they can watch us blow it up. Mwamba, we'll have Gadget fly you halfway to the mine then drop you off. That way, the villagers can think that you helped us cause the explosion and get rid of Fat Cat. And if Asani tries to hurt any of us, you can be there to fend him off."

Again, Mwamba contemplated Chip for a moment, then me. He turned back to Chip. "I think it will work well."

"I think gettin' the other villages 'ere sounds like a riought bonzer idea!" Monty said, and Zipper buzzed his agreement.

Like a school-boy, Endesha raised his paw. "I used to sleep in the mines as a small boy. The main entrance is at ground level, where the humans go in. There is another higher up in the rock that I used. From it you could climb down into the mines if you wished. You are right about the planes being able to fit in the mine shaft, but how can you be sure you can fix them?" He asked sensibly.

Chip grinned at him. "You saw the _Screaming Eagle._ There's not much out there Gadget _can't_ fix."

Endesha laughed and conceded the point, and I hoped I wouldn't disappoint everyone. But the prospect of getting my paws on an old World War II plane, similar to the older ones my dad learned to fly as a young man, was overly tantalizing. And I could change the crop dusting apparatus to drop dynamite or fireworks instead of fertilizer.

"What are we waiting for?" Dale asked, grinning at us. "Let's go kick some serious bad guy butt!"

Endesha laughed. "I will get Kumi, a guide, to take Monterey, Zipper, and Jake to the nearest villages and bring them back here by Sunday. There are radios at the villages you can use to tell us you have reached them each safely."

"Sounds loik a rioght bonzer adventah," Monty announced, standing up.

Jake leaped up next to him. "You got that right, mate. We leave at first light?"

"Rioght after some shut-eye," Monty affirmed, stretching and moving in the direction of the huts.

I watched as the Rangers slowly dispersed, Dale taking Sophia with him, until it was only Chip and I left by the dwindling fire, staring into a very brilliant dusty sunset. Chip slumped forward and gave a heavy sigh of relief.

"Are you all right, Chief?"

He tossed his hat aside and lay down with his head in my lap. "I am now. I've been trying to articulate Fat Cat's scheme to myself for weeks. I wasn't sure I could do it now."

I bent down and kissed his forehead, running my fingers through his fur. "Your gut is always right," I said softly. "I knew you could do it. You're brilliant."

He chuckled and I felt his tight shoulders relaxing. " _You're_ brilliant. I'm just obsessed, as Dale would say."

The 'you're brilliant,' 'no, _you're_ brilliant' game was one we played often. "We're both brilliant," I allowed. "And speaking of Dale, did you notice he ran off with Sophia?" I craned my head around to look for them, to no avail.

"Huh. You're right. You don't think - "

I grinned at him. "I do think."

"That's ca-razy."

"No crazier than us," I said, kissing his nose. He hadn't cuddled with me in weeks, and his nearness was actually making me tingle.

His paw touched my cheek. "Gadget, I love you," he whispered.

"I know."

He sat up and pulled me into his arms to kiss me. After, he took both my paws in his. "I want to apologize. Properly."

"Chip, you don't need to say anything - "

"I do," he cut me off with a finger on my lips. "I've been beating myself up for being so stupid about you. I let this get in the way of us."

I wanted to tell him that 'this' was kind of big, and that I wasn't angry with him, just relieved that he had worked it all out, and that I knew we were okay now, but he was insistent.

"You are the most important thing in the world to me, Gadget, and I had no right to let you come second to my working out this case. I should have let you in and let you help instead of shutting myself off from you and moping around to work it out myself. I was wrong." There were actual tears in his eyes, and mine, at the end of this speech. "I promise I won't do it again."

I couldn't think of anything to say, except a very inadequate-sounding, "I love you." I said it, but this scarcely conveyed the relief I felt that he and I were truly all right again. We had been so incredibly close to deciding to get engaged this spring; it had felt so right, and then the oil spill had happened, and nothing had ever been the same between us. He had mechanically gone through the actions of being a couple – but not the couple we were. There was no passion or fire there, just a sort of unspoken permanence. It was almost like just being teammates again. "Thank you," I managed.

Chip leaned forward and kissed me again, slowly. I fairly melted; I swore I could actually feel my spine giving away as I sunk back onto the ground with my arms around his neck. His scent, his fur, the leather of his bomber on me was warm and inviting, and I could feel one of his paws working its way into my hair when Dale shouted.

"Hey, Chip! Chip, where are you? Do you know where the hammer for the tent stakes is?"

He pulled away, a bit stunned. I couldn't help but smile at the expression on his face. "You better go help him."

He rolled his eyes and started to get up when I tugged on his bomber. "And Chip? When we get married, I'm putting extra locks on our door."

Chip laughed and poked me in the side before moving away to find Dale. I leaned back on the ground and closed my eyes. A small, teasing voice in my head spoke. _So are you ready to marry him yet, Hackwrench?_

I scrubbed at my eyes with my fists. Oh yes. I was way past ready.

[TBC]


	7. Head Over Heels

_Thank you for reading! As always, I own nothing with rising stock prices. Please leave a review - or even a 'like.' Hey, us authors can't be picky about these things._

 **Head-Over-Heels**

The next morning, we saw Montery Jack, Zipper, and Jake off with a small, lithe youth called Kumi. This process took some time for Chip and Monty; they seemed to be discussing something important. Afterwards, Chip had Dale, Sophia, and Endesha boarded the _Eagle_ with me.

"I want to check out the mineshaft so we can get an idea of how much explosive we'll need," Chip said, strapping himself into his chair. "And then you can show us where you saw Fat Cat, Sophia." I noticed he had refrained from mentioning Jules. Sophia seemed to visibly shake whenever we talked about him.

"Very well," she answered, settling herself somewhat timidly next to Dale at the Tactical station. "This is very impressive, Gadget."

"Thanks," I grinned back at her.

"Wait till you see what this does," Dale said encouragingly, dragging Sophia's attention to the controls in front of them. I had to wonder if he was going to take this moment to gauge her reaction to Alice Cooper.

Luckily though, Sophia decided that quieter music was more appropriate, and as the _Geegaw_ and village dropped away behind us, I heard her chatting happily with Dale. I was happy that Dale could set her at ease so quickly – it was fairly clear Sophia preferred _not_ to get too close to my inventions right now. She seemed ill at ease about everything.

"There is the mine," Endesha informed us, standing up to point over Chip's shoulder. "The opening you are seeking should be visible soon."

"How big is it inside?" I asked, maneuvering the _Eagle_ into a hovering position above the cavern. The opening was large enough to admit the plane, but I wasn't about to dive headlong into a mineshaft that I might not be able to get out of.

"I spent a lot of time here in my youth. I believe your plane will fit with plenty of room. The opening will go down for a short distance, and then level out and wind north, keeping above the human shaft."

"Hmm." I mused for a moment before making my decision. Endesha seemed to know his way around everything, so I decided to trust him. Slowly. Hopefully, I would be able to memorize the route within a few flights and figure out where to best drop the charges. "Will the old plane I'll be fixing fit in here too?"

"Oh yes," he laughed. "It is _much_ smaller!"

Beside me, Chip laughed at my fears. It was true the _Eagle_ was enormous compared to the _Ranger Plane_ and _Wing_ , and likely much larger than anything else rodent-made. "All right then, lets go in."

I dropped out of hover mode and slowly descended into the shaft, turning on the outside LEDs for better visibility. I knew I wouldn't have that luxury in the crop dusting plane, but I wanted to learn the route with the lights first. "We'll have to run through it several times, guys, so I can get used to it."

"That's all right, Gadget," came Dale's voice. "Don't worry, we won't crash," he added, probably to Sophia.

"Do you need me to do anything, Hackwrench?" Chip asked.

I shook my head as I slowly turned the _Eagle_ in a tight circle, letting my senses adjust to the lighting and the height and width of the tunnel. "Sorry. I'd have you take GIS points on it, but we won't get any satellite signal in here. And I need to be able to do this blindfolded."

I saw him give me a worried look, as if he had just realized he was letting me go Kamikaze on him, but held his tongue. Endesha carefully took a seat behind me. There was silence in the cabin and I shut my eyes for a second, tuning everything out. I needed to fly high enough that I could drop a charge without setting it off while it was still in contact with the plane. I needed to fly fast enough that the explosions would stay a consistently 'safe' distance from the plane. But I needed to fly slowly enough that I could drop an adequate amount of charges.

The Rangers dropped out of my consciousness. The music went away. My mind was quiet, clear, and razor-sharp. "Let's go," I muttered.

I followed the tunnel slowly, mentally taking note of the angle of the walls, the number of turns, and small pockets beneath me where charges could be dropped. It looked like I had half a foot of clearance on every side, which wasn't a whole lot. My stomach tightened somewhat at the thought of banking around a corner, only to clip the side of the plane and go crashing into a fiery oblivion. At one point, I couldn't see where the shaft was leading.

"Endesha? I can't see where to go now."

Chip was craning his neck to see out the windows. Endesha appeared between us and pointed upwards. "It comes up here, rather sharply. But not far after it widens considerably and you will be able to see the end."

"Light at the of the tunnel, huh?" Chip muttered.

I eyed the opening and pulled the _Eagle_ directly under it. With the _Eagle,_ I almost had to use hover to get up at the steep angle, but managed to just pull it off. I knew the crop dusting plane wouldn't have that function, and I needed to be able to bank upwards fast.

We flew up, and I was thrilled to find Endesha was right about the tunnel widening. I had far more room than I needed, and pressed the speed a bit as I saw a light filtering towards me. Within moments, we were out, roaring into the open morning air. My knot in my stomach dissipated somewhat. I had done it once. That meant I could do it again, and with more speed and efficiency.

"I hate to say it guys," I said, turning to look back at Sophia's tight face, "but I'm going to need to do that several more times. It's a little tricky on maneuvering."

Ever the champ, Sophia nodded grimly to me, then turned almost desperately to Dale, who fired up a Solitaire game for her.

"Rescue Spelunkers away," Chip quipped, winking at me.

I giggled and winked back.

"Are you two..." Endesha ventured, a small smile on his face.

"Yes," we answered, smiling.

He chuckled. "I thought as much," he said warmly. "You will have to tell me the story."

"Sophia can tell you the first part of it," I said over my shoulder, focusing on bringing the _Eagle_ up to the mineshaft again. "She can take all the credit for getting me into a relationship."

"I _do_ try to help," she said playfully.

"I would be happy to hear the story, Miss Marskov," Endesha returned, smiling at her.

"It would be a pleasure. Dale is in the story too, come here and I'll tell you."

Endesha joined Sophia and Dale, leaving Chip and I alone, and probably the only ones conscious of danger, as I flew through the mine repeatedly. Each time we did, I felt more comfortable, but Chip looked more worried.

"Are you all right?" I asked quietly. I attempted a distraction. "What were you talking to Monty about this morning?"

Chip looked at me with a weighty expression. "I'm worried about you doing this. This mine shaft is tight – a lot could go wrong once you've added the dynamite." He didn't say anything about Monterey Jack.

"I know." I shot him a desperate glance so he would know I was being serious. "But someone needs to shut down this mine, and I'm the most qualified." I wasn't boasting, and he knew it. Chip could easily have flown a smaller plane through the shaft without any problems, but he wouldn't be able to do it fast enough, in the dark, and certainly not also concentrating on dropping dynamite behind him.

He didn't say anything in return, so I ran through a few more times, each time faster, until the last time, when, without saying anything, I shut off the LED lights outside, took a deep breath, and plunged through. We came through on the other side, Chip looking grim yet impressed, in 46.8 seconds. It was a good time.

"I've got it now," I announced, turning the proceedings back over to Chip, who was still blinking at me. Luckily, Sophia hadn't seemed to notice the absence of safety lights the last time through.

"Sophia? Are you ready to show us where you saw Fat Cat?"

Sophia unsteadily made her way forward, gave a good look around, and then pointed west. "I can see the knoll in the distance. It has the small tree."

"Roger that," I said and brought the plane up to a slow cruising speed. Sophia retreated back with the others and I dimly heard her continuing her story.

"I know I'm a bit of a control freak," Chip said. I glanced over to show I was listening. He was staring forward, the way he did when he needed to think through what he was saying. "It's natural to me, I was raised around Dale. _Someone_ had to keep him out of trouble. I grew up feeling like I was naturally the one to be in charge, and that everyone else needed to be managed, because Dale couldn't really take care of himself the same way I could. I know I still boss him around all the time, but not anywhere near as much as I used to."

"You are a lot nicer to him," I offered, remembering my constant annoyance at Chip and Dale's bickering during the early years of the Rangers. I had often wondered how two people who fought so often could be so close. I had never liked to fight with people I loved.

"I'm afraid for him still though, Gadget. Kind of like I'm afraid for you. I don't worry about Monty or Zipper – they've always taken care of themselves; they don't specifically _need_ me, or the Rescue Rangers. They stay because they want to, and they're usually really great – you're all really great – about letting me do things my own way."

He seemed embarrassed, but he pressed on. "But I guess it boils down to that I don't want to lose anybody. As long as I feel like I'm in control of the situation, that Monty or I are the ones taking the risks, we'll all come home at the end of the day. I know you can take care of yourself, Gadg, but ever since day one I was terrified I was going to lose you."

I smiled at the memory. "You looked like you were going to cry when I said I needed to go back home after our first case."

He laughed nervously. "I can guarantee I would have. And I probably would have come after you."

"Really?" I glanced over at him. I hadn't thought any of them would have come back, with the possibly exception of Monty.

He nodded firmly. "I was hopelessly head over heels for you." There was a moment, and then he asked me something he hadn't before. "What did you think of me?"

I blinked a few times, thinking. "Well..."

"That doesn't sound promising, Hackwrench."

I laughed. "No – you didn't tell me what you _thought_ of me, you told me what you _felt._ And I can't say I felt anything back then except depression. I was pretty numb. But I liked your jacket. And since you had Monty with you, I liked that you were there. I was lonely, even if I couldn't admit it to myself."

"You liked my jacket, huh?"

"It reminded me of my dad."

We shifted easily into silence. When I looked back at Chip again, the vulnerable, worried chipmunk was gone, and the leader of the Rescue Rangers was back. I smiled out the window to myself. I had long since gathered that it had been love at first sight for him, and I knew that it hadn't been for me – I was too busy being paranoid and depressed to feel anything good. I recalled the first case, and that opening myself up to any emotion at all – excitement, fear, hope – had been excruciating. But Chip had, right from the get-up, been supportive. He had listened. He had asked questions. He had asked for my help, encouraged me to invent something, and been proud of me when I did. I had loved him for that, I knew. I had loved the stability he offered: the home he had shown me, the friendship, the support he managed to give me even when he knew it would most likely literally blow up in his face.

So what if Monty had come back to visit and invited me to come with him on his adventures? Chip had taken all of us in, made sure we had a roof over our heads, and had trained us to work as a team. I would have probably tried to refuse Monty's offer, but I couldn't turn Chip down, even if it did mean leaving everything I knew and moving in with four boys. It meant I wouldn't be lonely anymore, and it gave me a support group: I couldn't walk out on those boys even if I had wanted to. I'd tried it before, and they hadn't let me get very far.

I glanced sidelong at Chip. It hadn't been romantic, but he _had_ knocked me head over heels from the beginning.

Rousing myself from my reverie, I slowed the _Eagle_ as we approached the filming area – I could see the camera and the other equipment still on the ground by the river. "Sophia, we're here."

Sophia rose from her chair and looked out the cockpit window. "Yes, that is the knoll."

As I prepared to land the _Eagle,_ Chip fiddled with the GPS unit. "We're only half a mile from the village right now, and the mine is another half a mile east of us."

I glanced down at the GPS as the _Eagle_ settled. "And not very far at all from Olduvai Gorge," I noticed, interested. "I've always wanted to see that."

"Scenic Olduvai Gorge: the Garden of Eden of the human race," Endesha said fluidly, in his best tour guide voice.

Chip grinned at him and pressed the button to lower the ramp. "Let's see what we can find," he said.

Enedsha took Sophia's arm and led her down after Dale. Chip and I made to follow them, but before we reached the ramp, I impulsively grabbed his paw.

"What?"

"I _was_ knocked head over heels. You survived my salesman traps, wanted me to come with you, asked for my help, got me to start believing in myself, and didn't let me go back to being alone. I was shocked. And very, very happy."

His face broke into one of his adorable smiles that always made me want to tackle-hug him, but as we were standing fairly close to the ramp and as I didn't want to awkwardly find myself tumbling into a crowd with Chip, I decided to kiss him instead.

As was his wont, he was totally distracted. I had to physically push him away, laughing. "Go find some footprints, Sureluck," and moved to kick him.

He scampered down the ramp and I followed him at a stately pace. Once on the knoll, I joined Sophia, who gave me a rather knowing look. Endesha was looking pointedly at the ground.

"Okay - " Chip's voice cracked and he cleared his throat hastily and tried again. "Okay, this is where you -ahem – where you believe you saw Fat Cat, Sophia?"

She smiled sweetly. "Yes."

Chip looked like he was going to reply, but then thought better of it and went to examine the area on the knoll's ledge. I elbowed Sophia to get her to stop. Endesha and Dale left us and went to assist Chip.

"You have him wound up, Gadget," Sophia said wickedly.

I shook my head. "Yeah..."

She nudged me. "And? Are there wedding bells in the near future?"

"Yes."

Sophia nearly squealed with delight, but I covered her mouth with my paw.

"We haven't set any definite plans yet. And I don't even have the ring, okay?"

Sophia nodded and regained control. "Of course. I don't wish to be over-bearing, I simply wish you to be happy."

"We are, Sophia. _Very_ happy."

"And if you need _any_ help with the wedding, the shower, the invitations, with _anything -_ "

I smiled, attempting to hide the weariness. "I know. I call you."

I just wanted Chip. Not a big wedding. Just Chip. Unfortunately, the bride simply wanting to marry the groom was a foreign concept to Sophia. There had to be all sorts of hoops to jump through beforehand. I can't say it appealed to me.

"I'll let you know," I said again. "Let's go help Chip."

We approached the boys, who were all kneeling on the ground around a set of footprints. I had seen Fat Cat's all over, but Chip seemed to have honed in on two separate mice footprints.

"Did you find anything?" Sophia asked quietly.

Enesha looked up soberly. "Yes. This - " he pointed to a circular indentation in the ground near the ledge, "is where Asani sat. You can smell the bad medicine."

I could indeed smell something faint and foul about the place.

"And these are definitely Fat Cat's," Dale announced a little further back. "He must have stood here to watch."

"And these," Chip said quietly, pointing to a set of prints near Dale, "must be Jules's." He knelt again and sniffed them. "It's been a while, but I think that's him."

Sophia joined him, then froze as still as a statue. "Yes, it's him," she murmured.

I looked at her. "Who would have thought he'd end up here in Africa with Fat Cat?"

Sophia sniffed gingerly. "Who would have thought that we would see him again at all?"

[TBC]


	8. Follow Him Into the Dark

_I may have written this chapter back when 'Follow You into the Dark' was a Top 40 hit... As always, I own nothing._

 **Follow Him Into the Dark**

Even after growing up in an airfield, and living in New York's Central Park for years, I hadn't realized the night could be so noisy. Sophia had long since grown silent on the sleeping mat next to mine, but I couldn't sleep. I could hear Dale's snores in the tent just outside, and Monty's next door. I could hear a thousand and one insects chirping, bats squeaking, and the occasional call of a larger animal: a wild dog or primate.

I rolled over on my side and looked past Sophia's still form into the night. Out in our yard, the remnants of the bonfire Dale had insisted upon were dying in the firepit. It had indeed been overkill, but when I had seen Sophia smile as she accepted a toasted marshmallow from Dale, I forgave him on the spot. Right now, I was concerned about her – she was terrified of Jules. I knew I should have been, seeing as he had encouraged my murder two years ago, but I was more worried about Fat Cat.

The hut was stuffy. I was overheated from a long day in the _Eagle_ , which had heated up like an oven the minute the Tanzanian sun had touched it. Chip had turned on the overhead fans, but they hadn't done much more than make the heat bearable. As soon as the sun had gone down, the temperature had dropped drastically. But after lying in a warm bed for two hours, I was roasting again. Maybe if I went out and got some fresh air, I'd be able to sleep.

I stumbled out of the hut and into the pitch-black world outside. I breathed deeply for a few seconds, savoring the temperature change. And then I heard it.

Someone was breathing raggedly, just on the other side of the dying fire's glow. I peered into the darkness; the sound seemed familiar. I could just make out the shape of a mouse in western world clothing hunched over in the grass, panting. I moved ever so slightly closer, and accidentally cracked a twig under my paw.

The breathing stopped, and the form unfolded itself to full height, looking ghastly tall in the shadows from the embers. It took two stumbling steps towards me. I was about to turn and run back into the hut when a paw took my arm and Sophia appeared at my side, also gazing into the dark.

The form gasped and ran forward, through the firelight and right up to us, grabbing each of us by an arm and pulling us into the light. Simultaneously, all three of us gasped. I found myself looking into the pale, sweaty face of Jules Crissen, who was staring back at us as if we were ghosts. His eyes darted from one of us to the other, finally resting on Sophia, who was starting to hyperventilate.

"You're well..." He looked at me, confounded. "You're _alive_." His eyes resumed their darting, his whole body shaking. He groaned as if disgusted at something and pulled away, looking sick. Without warning, he turned and fled into the grasses.

Sophia made a funny sound and fell onto her knees. My mind was whirling. Jules shouldn't be _here_. "Sophia, come on," I said, and, four-pawed, took off after Jules into the grasses. If Jules really was with Fat Cat, then I could find out where he was hiding out.

Unwillingly, Sophia dashed after me into bush, following Jules's scent, and the great deal of noise he was making. He was not exactly accustomed to long runs, and especially not meeting ghosts in the middle of them. We followed him for a long time in silence. The sky on the horizon turned steadily gray, and then almost violet. The others would wonder where we had gone, but right now I was more worried about finding where Jules had trekked half the night from apparently just to see Sophia, then turn and run back.

The grasses thinned and we found ourselves atop a gentle slope from where we could see the mine up close now, blue in the gray light. Forty yards from us was an old building, the lights still dim in the earliest hours of dawn except for one light emanating from a window in the cellar of the building.

"Is that where he went?" Sophia gasped, her hand mopping her fair brow.

"It has to be," I answered. "Let's go see."

She grabbed my arm. "Gadget, please! I do not wish to see that man ever again, and I cannot see why you do!"

"Shh! Listen, he just showed us where Fat Cat is probably hiding." I stood up from our crouched position. "And besides, we just tailed him for three hours...you want to give up now?"

Sophia took a deep breath and nodded. "All right."

We made our way silently to the window that was lighted and pressed our backs against the wall, listening. I could still hear Jules huffing in exhaustion, now augmented. At last, a stern voice questioned him. "Did they follow you?"

I caught my breath. Fat Cat.

Jules was pausing, considering. I was curious about that, too. Did Jules know we had followed him? He had left us considerably surprised, but that did not rule out his fear that we may have followed.

"N-no. They would not have followed me so far in the dark."

It was not entirely convincing the way he said it, and I doubted that Fat Cat bought it either. He pushed on, ignoring the answer.

"You are too soft, Jules."

Jules's plea was actually heart-wrenching, and I ducked around the window to peer in. "She was sick, Fat Cat! Asani could have killed her! And you stand here...both of you...not caring! That was part of our deal, Fat Cat! Sophia was _not_ to be harmed!"

Sophia trembled beside me, and I put a paw on her elbow to keep her from running.

Fat Cat's back was to the greasy window when he answered Jules. "I know. I expected that she would leave to find the Rangers, not stay here until they arrived. They have arrived?"

"Yes," Jules said flatly. He did not add that I was alive.

"Perhaps...perhaps we could remove her from the situation now that she is well. Bring her here while we finish our plans."

Jules was actually looking skeptical. "I am not sure that would be the best idea." His answer was short, as if he was biting off a large retort. It occurred to me -distantly – that Jules wanted out. Because of Sophia. Maybe it wasn't enough any longer for him to ensure her safety; maybe her regard for him was a concern. I glanced at Sophia, who looked like she was having a second bout of her illness.

"I do not understand him..."

I shook my head and listened again.

"We are too close to stop our plans now, Jules. The mines are all ours, the fish market is ours, and the oil market soon will be ours. The Rangers are here – now we can strike them down!"

Jules leaned forward in his chair and clutched his head. "Please...I am tired. Let me rest, we can discuss this later when I am thinking properly."

Fat Cat sighed and nodded, turning away towards the window, and spotted us. "No! Get them!" He whirled back to Jules. "They followed you!" he cried savagely.

"That's our cue," I gasped and grabbed Sophia and started running. The sun was nearly up now, skimming the edges of the golden landscape, and we ran east towards it and the grasses that separated us from the Kidari village.

Moments later I heard shouting behind us and chanced a look back. I was shocked to find a number of hyenas in hot pursuit of us. We had a head start, but against them it would not last long. We gained the summit of the sand dune we had slid down earlier, and found ourselves trapped. Coming up from the grasses were still more hyenas, all hissing and spitting. Sophia and I clung to each other.

"This...if this is what I get for running after you in the dark..." Sophia muttered angrily as we turned in a circle, caught.

"I'm sorry," was my inadequate response. In the still of dawn as the hyenas now stalked toward us, grinning, I heard a hum, which grew to a buzz, which grew louder until I looked up. "My plane!"

The _Screaming Eagle_ , completely equipped with the _Geegaw_ in its cage was streaking towards us. There was a gunning noise, and I was surprised to see that Chip (because it had to be Chip) was actually using the air soft bullets, which he was firing in a wide circle around us. The hyenas backed up.

"He can't land with that contraption," Sophia protested.

"He's not going to land," I said. He's going to drop the _Geegaw_ for us. Hold on!" I pulled Sophia to the side and watched as the _Eagle_ changed to hover mode and begin a descent. The plane dropped nearly to the ground, with Chip still firing off random shots to keep the hyenas at bay, the cage swung open and the _Geegaw_ , glistening black in the morning sun, dropped in front of us.

As I dragged Sophia forward, the back hatch swung down, automated by a switch in the _Eagle_ , and Chip began an ascent, beginning to move in a small circle to give us space. We darted inside and into the front seats, the motor already growling.

"Fasten yourself in," I ordered Sophia, who dubiously took the co-pilot's chair and began strapping on the five-point harness.

"There's a helmet under your seat you might want. And I'm warning you now, the _Geegaw_ can drive upside down and sideways, and if you feel the need to scream -"

"Or be sick - "

"Laugh instead."

She looked at me dubiously as I pulled on headset and switched it on. "Chip?"

"Ready to roll, Gadget?"

"Thanks to you, yes." I hit the accelerator and we tore off with a myriad of beasts in pursuit. With one paw, I started typing in coordinates for Olduvai Gorge on the integrated smartphone and sent it to the _Eagle._ "Chip, I don't think our hosts would appreciate us bringing this pack of animals back to their village. I'm plotting a course for the Gorge. Are you getting it?"

"Roger that. What's your plan once you get there?"

"I was thinking of jumping the _Geegaw_ off the edge and having you catch us, actually." Sophia screamed as we hit a series of rocks and went flying through the air. Aside from bouncing on our spring-loaded seats, it was fairly gentle when we touched back down and rolled.

"Jumping off the _edge_? Gadget Hackwrench, you are crazy."

I rolled the _Geegaw_ up a tree and back to the ground, spinning and changing directions. Next to me, Sophia actually began a stilted, crazed laugh.

"Crazy yes, but you already knew that. Are you going to catch us or not?"

"I'm going to say yes and pray I'm not lying. If it doesn't work I'll run myself into the ground after you."

"Well we can't have that, now can we? ETA two minutes."

I heard Chip laugh through my earpiece. "Do you know how fast you're going, Gadg?"

"I'm probably not going to break the sound barrier," I answered, swerving to avoid a boulder.

"Nearly 35 mph."

"Golly!" That was actually impressive. "Listen, when I jump this thing I need you..." I did some quick calculations. "Ten feet from the ledge and two feet down, and bring the cage -open – to a 45' angle."

I heard him punching things into the computer. "So beyond that it's really all up to you?"

"And luck. We'll need a healthy dose of it, but don't tell Monty I said so."

"Right. Gadget – on your left!"

I looked over to see two hyenas gaining steadily on us, claws visibly extended. I swerved right, executing a 'Scandinavian Flick', and spraying dust and rocks in our assailant's eyes. I silently reminded myself to thank Dale for making me watch _Top Gear._ "Thanks, Chip. ETA 1 minute."

"How's Sophia holding up?"

I gave my friend a sidelong glance. Sophia's eyes were wide open and her mouth clenched tightly shut. "She'll live," I replied. "This is probably not the best thing to do after having a witch doctor cure you."

Chip chuckled. "No, definitely not. I hate to ask, but just in case, what were you doing?"

I could see the Gorge in the distance now, speeding toward us. I resisted the urge to break. "When I left the hut, I met up with Jules."

"JULES?" Chip choked the name out incredulously.

"The same. He's definitely working with Fat Cat." The horizon had turned into a drop-off. Sophia began gasping. "Calm down."

"Great. Okay, I'm flying ahead to hover." His voice caught. "Gadget, if you get yourself killed-"

I flipped some switches, preparing to gun and then cut the motor. "I know, you're going to run my pretty new plane into the ground. All my months of work, wasted."

Chip sighed in my earpiece. I knew that this was exactly what he didn't want; exactly the kind of thing he was afraid I would do. Do something stupid and act like I couldn't take care of myself. Through the tinted window of the _Geegaw_ , I saw the _Screaming Eagle_ hovering massively just feet over the side of the Gorge, and the cage open. I licked my lips and prayed.

"Okay, almost there."

"You've got company," Chip said.

A glance in the mirror told me the hyenas were now hot on my trail; believing I had nowhere to go. If they didn't stop, we were going to have a classic Roadrunner – Wil. E Coyote moment.

"Ready Chip? Five, four..."

I re-engaged the traction control, hit the accelerator, and headed for an upslope on the ledge in front of us. I barely registered anything as we launched off the side. I was momentarily blinded by the sunrise glinting off the Gorge and _Eagle_ , and heard Sophia scream. And then there was a head-banging clank, and I felt us slipping backwards.

"Brake, Gadget, brake!"

I hit the brake and the emergency brake simultaneously, and felt us slide backwards a little more and then bump against the back of the cage. It had closed and we were safe.

I let out the breath I had been holding and sank back into my chair. With a swinging motion, I felt Chip bring the _Eagle_ about and heard him firing more bullets into the herd of animals that were no doubt hissing on the edge of the Gorge.

"We're in, we're safe, Chip!"

"Good! Hold on, ladies!"

The gentle swinging continued, and as we flew away from the Gorge I unstrapped myself and went to Sophia, who was now breathing heavily and looking as though she might faint.

"Are you all right?" I asked, touching her paw.

She shook her head to clear her stupor. "Alive is as much as I can hope," she said, looking around the cabin.

I pulled the helmet off her head and unbuckled her. "You can relax now, Chip is a very good flyer."

She looked up at me, and for a moment I didn't know what she was thinking, and then she smiled wryly. "And you're a very good driver." And she burst out laughing, and clutched my paw. The laughter was not hysterical, and I smiled and relaxed as she laughed. I heard Chip in my ear. "Don't scream – laugh."

Asani was shocked. He did not understand much of the Americans' way of life, or of their reasons for wishing to harm these "Rescue Rangers," or rob humans –he didn't care, to be honest – but he had gathered a few facts. One, that "Gadget" was supposed to be dead. Jules had seen her murdered in the ocean. Two, Gadget was NOT dead. Three, Gadget had sought out Jules. And four, when Fat Cat had sent hyenas after her, she had summoned a great metal black bird to bring her a small creature, which took her and Sophia to safety.

Gadget was a witch.

He knew that Fat Cat and Jules would call this black bird a 'plane,' but no plane could come when summoned, without someone flying it, unless the person who summoned it was a powerful witch.

"Asani!"

The witch turned to regard a furious Fat Cat towering over him. "You must stop the Rangers; stop them before they ruin us!"

Dark pleasure crept up in Asani's chest. Gadget may be a powerful witch, but she was surely not as knowledgeable as Mwamba, or Mwamba would have been cast out of the village. Asani would have known if this was the case. If he surprised them both, tonight, with every dark force he could muster, it would be the end of the two witches. "Don't worry. Tonight I will dart them."

For a moment Fat Cat's face showed some consternation. "If you can – avoid hurting Sophia. If we hurt her again, we'll lose Jules." Fat Cat spat on the ground and stomped away.

Asani turned back to the sunrise and licked his lips. "Enjoy the sun of today while it shines, my friends. Tonight will be the blackest night you will know."

[TBC]


	9. Heart of Darkness

_For any of you interested, this is the chapter that breaches the PG(ish) level, which is why this story is not posted over at the Acorn Cafe. I'm happy to help keep the Cafe as family friendly as possible. But if you know anyone over there who might like this, please send them along! Apologies to Joseph Conrad for borrowing his title. Also, I may have watched Temple of Doom too many times (I'm weird and kind of like that movie). But moving on:_

 **Heart of Darkness**

From the moment the Geegaw's cage touched the ground, I felt a growing dread in my chest. Chip was not going to be happy with me. He was already tetchy, but if he got me alone within the next half an hour, we might just have a fight. And we didn't fight much.

Sophia and I undid the catch that held the Geegaw in its cage and stepped out into the sun-swamped village. Curious by-standers were pointing at the Eagle again, muttering. Then they pointed at me and I heard them whisper. "Kanoni. Kanoni."

Chip stalked towards the two of us, and I bit my lip. I was going to hear it now….

"Chip! You left without me!" Dale appeared out of nowhere, arresting Chip in his march towards us. "You should have taken me; you're not the only one around here who cares about the girls!"

Chip stopped and stared at his friend, who was holding him by his shoulders. Seizing the moment and hoping I could keep away from him for a while, I grabbed Sophia's paw and started pulling her in the direction of our huts.

"You're not going anywhere yet, Hackwrench!" Chip hollered over Dale's head. I froze and turned around. Running would only have made the impeding scene worse.

"What is wrong?" Sophia whispered.

"I'm about to get yelled at for running off in the middle of the night, into enemy territory, un-armed, without him," I muttered.

Sophia's eyes grew large. "Perhaps I shall….leave you now."

"Perhaps."

Chip very firmly pushed Dale away from him. "I'm sorry," he intoned. "I won't do it again. Now if you'll just excuse me – "

Chip's paws were iron vices on my shoulders before I knew what hit me. " _What_ do you think you were doing!? You _knew_ it was dangerous out there! Why on _earth_ would you run off, after _Jules_ , without letting me know where you're going?!"

I swallowed hard and backed up. His eyes, usually a delicious chocolaty brown, were almost pitch black. "I think… I _think_ we shouldn't have this conversation here," I said firmly.

His jaw worked for a minute, and I could tell he was grinding he teeth together. At last, he nodded very shortly, and I turned around and started walking out of the village, past the gardens, and into the brush with him right behind me.

When I was satisfied we were out of earshot as long as we kept our voices down, I stopped and turned back to him. I expected to find the same expression I had just turned away from, but instead found that Chip's face was lined with concern and exhaustion. I swallowed, unsure.

He sighed. "I'm sorry, Gadget. I shouldn't have done that." He looked at me with sad eyes.

I hadn't been mad at him to begin with, just irritated that he was going to upbraid me in public. But I deserved to be upbraided, most likely.

"I really shouldn't have run off last night; it wasn't safe."

"No, it wasn't," he agreed firmly.

"But you would have done exactly the same thing." I steeled myself for a tirade, but it didn't come. Instead, I found myself wrapped up in a warm hug, with Chip nuzzling my cheek affectionately.

"I _would_ have done exactly the same thing," he mumbled.

I laughed softly. "And the second you were safe I would have started yelling at you for it."

He pulled back and looked at me, a conspiratorial grin tugging at his mouth. "Gadget Hackwrench," he murmured softly, shaking his head. "How on earth did I get so lucky?"

I just giggled.

When we re-entered the yard in front of our huts, we found Dale and Sophia entertaining a large group of villagers, who became very excited upon our arrival. Endesha and Mwamba were seated on the ground near the fire, watching the crowd.

"What's up?" Chip asked Dale as he led me into the yard.

As if we carried the plague, the villagers all backed up several inches, looking at us with a mix of terror and amazement.

Mwamba stood up and said something to them. Slowly, with many glances behind them, the crowd shuffled away. Chip and I crossed to the fire and sat down, bewildered. Sophia passed me a couple of bowls of yams, and I handed one to Chip. I hadn't realized how famished I was.

"You have acquired a new status, Gadget," Endesha said, grinning toothily.

I raised my eyebrows and prayed it didn't have anything to do with Chip. I really had no patience for being teased about him. "Oh?"

Endesha leaned forward eagerly, then sat back and looked expectantly at Mwamba. The witch doctor rolled the bells on his skirt through his paws and looked at me fixedly. "I said you had a strong heart yesterday."

I nodded and put down my yams. Beside me, Chip stopped eating too.

"I can read things; feel things." He smiled. "And I can hear the people. They all believe you are a witch, and have named you Kanoni."

"Kanoni?" I asked, trying the foreign name out.

Endesha smiled and translated. "It means 'little bird.' For your plane!"

"Asani also believes you are a witch."

"How?" I was dumbfounded. I didn't even want to ask how Mwamba knew this.

"I see things, Gadget," Mwamba reiterated gently. "He believed from Fat Cat that you were dead; and now you are not. Fat Cat sent hyenas to kill you this morning. You survived by summoning a great black bird to save you."

I leaned forward. "You mean that Asani saw Chip flying the _Eagle_ , and thought that I had magically called it there to save me?"

"That is right. You have startled him, and you have impressed the villagers." His smile faded. "So much so, that they begin to lose faith in my abilities."

"Oh! Mwamba - I can't do magic," I spluttered, looking helplessly around at everyone. I suddenly felt like Dorothy being questioned by Glenda the Good Witch. I wasn't a witch at all. "I just invent things."

"Those things are very similar here," Endesha reminded us.

"Mwamba, how can I convince people that I'm _not_ a witch? Because I'm not!"

His smile returned. "We will let them believe you are a witch. One day, you will believe in your powers," he nodded sagely as I opened my mouth to protest. "And it will help us fight Asani. When you leave, all you have to do is make a token offering of your powers to me, to signify that you are leaving me this village to live in, with your blessing."

I was quite shocked. I looked at Chip for a moment to find his expression mirrored mine before I turned back to Mwamba. "And what sort of token of blessing am I supposed to leave you?" I stammered.

"Whatever will work at the time. We will not worry about it now. What we will worry about is tonight. Asani will strike tonight, I am sure. I am going to prepare. Go and fix your plane hastily. I warn you now, Kanoni and my friends, that the night will not be safe."

On that enigmatic note, Mwamba rose and left us sitting around the fire, wondering.

Chip and Dale, in a fit of gallantry, decided that Sophia and I should rest for a few hours before we tackled any repairs on the crop dusting planes. Eager as I was to get started, I knew I could work better after a nap, so I took Sophia into our hut and fell asleep.

I awoke several hours later to find the hut sweltering hot. I sat up slowly and ran my fingers through my hair, trying to tame it. Beside me, Sophia looked up and smiled.

"Good afternoon."

"Same to you. Do you know how long we've been in here?" I asked, now pulling off my goggles and using both paws.

Sophia chuckled at my vain attempts and consulted her wristwatch. "It is nearly 2:30. And don't bother with that, I have a brush."

"Thanks. You're a lifesaver."

Sophia produced a small brush from her purse and crawled around to sit behind me. "If the only lifesaving you require is a hairbrush, I shall be happy to help," she laughed, and tackled my thick hair.

The brush's teeth felt good on my scalp. "Have you seen either of the boys?" I asked.

"I heard them a few minutes before you awoke. Chip seems most eager to go and look at the crop dusting plane."

"I bet he is."

"I do not mean to pry, but he seemed very worried about the plan."

"He is worried."

Sophia finished brushing my hair and put her brush away. "Your hair is very thick – were your parent's hair thick?"

We crawled out of the hut and I pushed my goggles back into place. "I don't know… I never really thought my dad's hair was that thick. And I don't remember my mother."

While my father had been gone for eight years and sometimes talking about him hurt, I couldn't remember a time when thinking about my mother had caused me pain. She had died when I was very young; I didn't remember her at all. I held onto her through the pleasant concept of what a mother was, the love my dad had clearly had for her, and the stories he had told me. Of course, this meant that I sometimes forgot that people didn't know my mother had died when I was a baby.

Sophia's eyes rounded. "You don't remember… But you never told me about your parents…" She seemed very wrong-footed for a moment.

I grabbed her paw. "It's okay. My mom died when I was still a baby. My dad…he died eight years ago in a plane crash."

Her eyes did not return to normal. In fact, they grew wider. "But…Dale told me that the Ranger have been together for seven years. You were alone?"

She caught on faster than I had expected. This fact was lost on most people, as for a long time its significance had been lost on the Rangers. "Yes. I was…alone…for a year," I took a deep breath and tried not to cry. "And then the Rangers found me," I finished, forcing out a smile for Sophia's benefit. "I guess you could say I was the first person they rescued."

Sophia nodded slowly, digesting.

Chip and Dale found us. Chip looked moderately weary and I wondered if he had bothered to take a nap. "Are you ready to go look at the plane?"

"Plane shopping?" I laughed. "Count me in."

Chip helped me out of the hut and made a show of shoving me playfully towards the _Eagle_. "Endesha is waiting for us; he says there's lots of tools and other things we can salvage to repair it."

"Sounds good," I said as we set off away from the village.

The crop dusting plane was dilapidated, and the propeller crooked. Endesha smiled wanly as he showed it to me. It had been parked beside a large pile of boulders, so while the sun had not damaged it, the intervening years had caused it to rust, though it looked like someone had tried to keep it clean and functioning.

"Do you think you can salvage it, Gadget?" Chip asked, tipping his head to one side.

"I'll have to look it over – this looks largely cosmetic. And I'll need to install an ejection seat and parachute..." I trailed off as I forced the cockpit top to unlock. Chip scampered up on top of the plane with me and held up the glass. I worked my way inside.

"Well, the seat belt works," I said sarcastically, and began examining the instruments. "Ask Endesha if he has any fuel."

Chip shouted this down to Endesha, who shouted back. "He says there is a siphon and a car a ways away that we're welcome to, and that there is also some dynamite there."

I nodded absently, in full workshop mode, and flipped a few switches; a dry hum began to shake the plane. I grabbed the wheel and pulled it towards me. "What are the wing flaps doing, Chip?"

"They're moving down."

"Perfect. Are they moving up now?"

"Roger that."

"Okay, let's see...are the wing lights coming on now?"

Chip squinted in the sun. "I think so."

"Okay. Now if you'll just hold onto this," I motioned to the heavy cockpit roof I was holding up, "I'll get out and look at the duster to see if it's still working." Chip obliged, and I climbed out of the cockpit and slid down the nose of the plane. Comically, when Chip let go of the top and leapt for cover, the top stayed in place.

I walked underneath the plane and inspected the duster. "This should hold enough dynamite to get the job done."

"And how do you plan on lighting the dynamite?" Chip asked, leaning on one of the wheels.

"I saw a barbeque lighter behind those rocks." I jerked my head to the left. "I'll mount that to the bottom of the plane and run a wire through the plane so I can turn it on remotely. As the firecrackers drop, they'll ignite." Satisfied that the plane was going to work, I refocused on Chip. "I think we can make this work, Chip."

He rolled up his sleeves and turned back to Endesha, grinning. "We'll take it." He tossed his hat to the ground and hollered for Dale to bring the toolbox over. "All right, Gadget, let's get this plane Ranger-Ready."

"I like the sound of that, Chief." He stooped and kissed my cheek. I brushed him away playfully. "If you'll start unscrewing these panels, I'll have Dale help me haul the soldering gun over."

"Aye-aye, captain," he said, and coyly grabbed my screwdriver out of my pocket as I passed.

We returned to the village late that evening, exhausted from the sun. The boys took refuge in Monty's abandoned hut, then after dinner Chip straggled over and collapsed in my hut. His presence was soothing to my tiredness, but couldn't offset the unease I felt as night fell. I couldn't help but remember Mwamba's warning about the night not being safe.

Dale entered the hut, looking pale. "Something's wrong, there's something out there, Chip," he said, sitting down cross-legged next to his friend.

Chip looked at him. "Mwamba did say something about the night not being safe."

Dale was nodding, looking over his shoulder at the yard outside the hut. "It's giving me the creeps. Mwamba was singing in his hut when I went past."

"What is this 'giving you the creeps?'" Sophia asked, leaning forward.

Dale shuddered. "I know you'll think it's dumb, Chip, but I can hear things moving, and it doesn't sound like the villagers. I can hear laughing and whispering...but it's all out in the bushes."

Chip frowned and craned his neck to look out the door. The distant firelight didn't illuminate our yard very well, and there wasn't much to see. At that moment, a gust of chilled wind shook the hut. Leaves whipped across the yard. I shivered at the sudden cold.

"Now you're creeping all of us out," Chip whispered.

Sophia swallowed hard and grabbed my arm. "I can hear it too, Dale."

"What are we afraid of the dark for?" Chip asked, trying to sound like his regular, cocky self.

I licked my dry lips. In the park in New York, it was never really dark, and there wasn't any sound or scent there after sunset that I didn't know. But out here... "Witches," I said, taking a deep breath.

An unearthly whoop and shriek came from just outside the yard. All four of us scrambled to our feet and crowded the entrance. Then I saw whatever it was that Dale had been hearing, but it wasn't anything solid I could make out. The air was thick and vaporous, and even darker where the outlines of shadows moving out of the bushes and into the corner of the yard. Sophia gasped, and Dale pushed her roughly back into the hut. Chip stepped outside the door, eyes wide.

"Don't be stupid, get back," I whispered, grabbing at the back of his coat.

"I'd rather have room to fight or run if those things attack us," he returned harshly, grabbing my paw. Dale moved right behind me, and the three of us hovered just outside the doorway, holding onto each other tightly.

"Sophia, Chip might be right," Dale squeaked, motioning to Sophia.

"I am not leaving this hut," Sophia said firmly. Both of their ideas seemed good, but neither of them provided any safety. I bit my lips and hung on tighter to the boys.

Directly in front of us, one of the shadows, long and thin like a scalene triangle, took on a more definite form. Two blood-red slits appeared at the top, with a round hole ringed with sharp teeth just below it. The thing was nearly as big as me.

Under my paws, Chip tensed. "It looks like a giant...leech." His breath was hard and fast. Behind me Dale dropped his head to my shoulder and shook, sick.

The leech's eyes blinked and it drifted forward. Flanking it were other still formless phantoms, drifting and laughing low. The laughter sounded like a saw.

Then without warning, like a starship jumping to warp, the leech shed its vestiges of smokiness and launched itself into us.

I'm not sure what happened. One moment we were all huddled together, the next we had been knocked over like bowling pins, and were rolling across the yard by ourselves. I scrambled to my feet, choking on the dust and fetid air surrounding these demons. They had formed a ring around us, ebbing and waxing like an uncertain tide. To my left, Dale was pulling himself to his feet, shaking his head. I looked around frantically for Chip. I heard him scream terribly and spun on the spot, nearly falling over again as I caught sight of him.

The leech had clamped itself around Chip, and together they were thrashing around in the dust. The leech rolled, wrapping itself more securely around Chip, its greedy eyes snapping and mouth savaging his neck and face.

Dale and I made it to Chip together, but paused, uncertain. "We have to get it off!" I cried, dancing uncertainly as Chip and the leech thrashed at my feet. His eyes were closed tight, his screams rough and piercing.

Reckless and brave, Dale launched himself into the melee, grabbing the leech.

It was like he had touched fire. He was flung back, barely keeping himself erect. He seemed tense; his breathing slow and deep like he had just broke the surface of a deep swimming pool. "Dale?" I asked, reaching for him tentatively.

He turned, and his eyes flashed the same deep, glowing red as the leech's. My heart stopped, and he reached out menacingly for me. Instinctively, I darted forward and slapped him hard across the face. "Dale!"

The slap brought him back to his senses. He shook his head and looked desperately at me. "Don't touch it, Gadget! Don't!"

As if I was going to stand by while Chip got burned to a cinder by a demon. Stupidly and frantically, I prepared myself and reached for the leech.

It was like it knew what I was going to do. Before I touched it, the leech released Chip, turned, and flew into me.

I screamed and fell backwards, feeling myself hit the ground. The leech was blue-hot and consuming. As my body burned, my soul sickened. Every moment of loneliness I had ever felt in my life came surging back in a tidal wave, drowning me. I tried to close my eyes against the pain, but I found I couldn't. My body was no longer mine to control, but the leech's, to do with as it pleased.

The leech was around my waist, and then it undulated against me grotesquely and lifted its head to look at me. My eyes burned, tears pouring from them against the air and heat, and the leech laughed – I could hear it, in some way that I couldn't explain. And I knew what it wanted.

Its head plunged into my chest, and a thousand tiny nails dug into me, and I could feel my heart pounding with an urgency I had never experienced.

I couldn't see. The tail of the leech grew tighter, like a vice, and the teeth seemed to have penetrated my flesh and were gnawing through me to my heart. My heart pounded harder and harder, as if it could run from the thing determined to stop it. But it couldn't beat forever, and like a car crashing into a brick wall, it came to an abrupt and alarming halt.

The jaws were closed inside of me and around my heart, pulling upwards. I knew it should have felt horrific, but I felt no pain. I didn't feel anything. My lungs were deflated, and the last vestiges of sight were flickering through my brain. I could see the stars, with the Southern Cross hanging overhead… like a crooked crucifix above a grave –

Mwamba stood in the door of his hut, watching the mortal battle the immortal. These strangers were unfamiliar with dealing with the creatures that inhabited the world beyond their basic sight. Not many people anywhere had the proper senses to see and hear these creatures. Even fewer had the ability to control them. These demons were the helpers of Asani, he was sure. No other witch had control over such ugly things.

He took a breath and resumed his singing, challenging the spirits as they closed in upon the strangers. The villagers would not see very much, if they dared to look out of their huts and see anything at all. He thought the strangers would see even less, but perhaps it was best that they could not see the worst of the things that assailed them.

Chip was attacked by the leech demon. Mwamba began walking into the yard, singing louder. Even now, some of the weaker spirits left. Through all the blackness from Asani's demons he could see his own deep purple heart glowing strongly. He was fascinated by the energy that Chip's scarlet heart emanated, even as he struggled with the demon. The other two had bright hearts as well. The other chipmunk's, Dale's, was a deep, bright blue. Gadget's - the Kanoni Witch- was a brilliant, pulsing gold.

Mwamba looked at the leech, singing louder that his heart was strong, and that the strangers' hearts were strong. The leech twitched and grasped Chip harder. The young man let out a scream, and Mwamba read it. Fear. That was what consumed the leader of the Rangers. Fear of loss.

Dale reached for the demon and touched it. Mwamba saw the darts enter his eyes and turn them red. The blue aura lessened; black transcending it. Jealousy and anger. These were the things that troubled Dale.

Kanoni-Gadget slapped Dale's face, no doubt hoping to shake him to his senses. She had not realized it was her golden glow that wiped away the darts from him. She heart was stronger than the vestiges of darkness the demon had left in her friend.

Mwamba continued walking into the yard of demon spirits, who were now skittering around in a larger and larger circle, thinking perhaps it was best to let the leech demon take the brunt of the shaman's expertise. _Yes, leave. My heart is strong and you have none, and so you must obey me. The strangers' hearts are strong; you can see it_.

It was then that Kanoni-Gadget decided to try and destroy the leech. As the demon tore itself from Chip, leaving his aura fading and his soul ripping, Mwamba stopped singing. He read the intention of Asani…and someone else…channeled through the leech. Murder. A witch's murder. There would not be much left of the girl's body, to say nothing of the bare fragment that would be left of her soul.

The golden aura Kanoni-Gadget carried evaporated the moment the leech touched her. It knocked her backwards, moving with precision and efficiency as it sought the best position from which to kill her. He would have to move swiftly to save her. But he could not do it alone; her heart was unknown to him.

He rushed to Chip's side; Dale was already trying to pull his shaking, heaving friend from the ground. "Hurry, or you will lose her," Mwamba said, seizing upon Chip's other arm and pulling him toward Kanoni-Gadget.

Her aura was gone, and Mwamba heard her last breath rattle in her throat and saw her body go limp as he knelt beside her. He could read nothing more coming from her. Kanoni-Gadget was dead.

He would try anyway. The leech froze as Mwamba knelt beside the dead girl. He spoke his native tongue. _My heart is strong, and you have none. The girl's heart is not your property, nor is it Asani's._ At the mention of Asani, the leech loosened his grip on Gadget, but did not withdraw its mouth from her heart. _The girl's heart belongs to these people._

Mwamba looked up into the ashen faces of Chip and Dale. "Come down." The boys knelt on either side of Gadget, Chip next to Mwamba, blinking back tears. "Your hearts must be stronger than the Asani's, Rangers. Chip, you must conquer the fear. Dale, you must master the anger."

Mwamba read the deepness in Chip's throbbing, hurting spirit. It was him who must do it.

Mwamba put his paws firmly on Chip's back and began chanting. The leech shook. After a moment, as if he had planned it all along, Chip leaned over Gadget's still body and spoke to the demon. "Her heart is strong, and it is tied to mine."

I felt a sickening _thump_ inside my chest cavity, and knew my heart had fallen from the leech's mouth. Part of me registered that I had been gone –dead? – for several moments, and another part realized that as the leech un-suctioned itself from me I no longer felt the acute loneliness.

"The leech is gone. Is that it?" a trembling voice asked above me. It occurred to me that if my eyes were still open, I couldn't see.

"No," murmured another voice. This proclamation was met with sounds of disgust and revulsion. "Hold onto her."

In my mind, the voice that was speaking took on form. Mwamba. As if he knew I had put the pieces together, he spoke to me. "I am sorry, this will hurt. Asani's demon has darted you, and I will have to pull out the dart. Prepare yourself."

The second his paw touched my chest, pain screamed back into me, surging through my limbs. _At least I can feel now_ , I thought ironically.

Something was moving around the vicinity of my heart, and then I felt my blood gushing, running away from my heart, back through veins that burned now with a double load, seeming to spill out of my veins and into other parts of my body. I couldn't make a sound now, even if I had wanted to. I couldn't move either, and yet I could feel more of my body that I had ever been aware of before. Above me, voices were moaning.

I was sure Mwamba's attempt to save me had failed. The darkness was becoming more and more pronounced. Just when it was all going completely black, Mwamba burst through my consciousness and held me, body and soul, in the physical world. I could feel warm, sucking motions over my heart. With and aching, crawling slowness, I felt my heart begin beating again. The blood was sealing itself back into its veins and arteries, and flowing properly. My window to my body dimmed and closed, and I once more became aware of the cool night air, the smell of sweat from the boys and Mwamba, the dirt clinging to my hair and fur, and my sore muscles from running so far last night. I opened my eyes and looked up into three pale, expectant faces.

"Gadg?"

I took a slow, deep breath, savoring the expanding of my lungs, and blinked hard. I took several more deep breaths before I tried to speak. "Mw...Mwamba. Thank you."

He smiled and bowed his head. "Your heart is very strong, Gadget," he murmured. Then his smile grew. "And it is now tied to Chip's in a way that few will ever possibly be able to comprehend."

I looked into Chip's face, matted and filthy and torn by the leech. Who would have thought non-corporeal spirits could cause so much physical damage? I tried to think of something to say, but everything seemed so anti-climatic. The best I managed was, "Golly Chip... you look terrible."

Chip tried a weak smile as he knelt next to me, but then, with no warning, sunk to the ground. I reached for him, but Mwamba shook his head.

"The demons will not come back, Kanoni-Gadget. Rest is what you need now. All of you." He scooped Chip up, and Dale picked up me. They carried us back to the hut and deposited us on the nearest mat. Dale collapsed next to Chip, and I faintly registered Sophia wrapping a blanket around me before I lost consciousness.

[TBC]


	10. The Ethereal Theory

_If you survived the last chapter and came back for more, may the blessings of the Cola Cult be upon you. I suppose this one might also be a bit PG-13. Sigh. I own nothing._

 **The Ethereal Theory**

Consciousness was kind in coming back to me, like a lazy Sunday morning in my bed with the tiniest hints of light coming through the shutters. Chip was cradling me in his arms, holding me against his chest. I was warm and safe, which after last night, that was really saying something. The memory of last night seemed years away. I wanted this moment to move on into eternity.

"Good morning," I whispered, looking up at him.

He brushed an imaginary strand of hair from my face. "I wish we could wake up like this every morning."

I smiled and touched his cheek. "We could."

A contented kiss on my forehead was his reply. It had been a long time, months, since we had decided we were ready to get married. But the prospect of a wedding, one which Sophia desperately wanted to help with – single-handedly plan – was too daunting for us. We didn't want a fuss, we didn't want to send announcements to all of Zippers dozens of siblings, we didn't want to deal with Monterey Jack insisting on the catering, we didn't want any of that. And so we had decided to wait some more.

I snuggled into his warm fur, savoring the few quiet, uninhibited moments that we had. This was really all I wanted. Him, right there with me. My fingers wandered over his face and jaw and I felt the gashes from the leech attack. I hoisted myself up on my elbow to inspect them more closely. There were strips of fur missing around his collarbone, cuts on his cheek, and tears on his coat where the stuffing was billowing out. Our eyes met.

"You look awful," I said, echoing myself from the night before.

"Me?" he practically laughed. "You should see yourself, sweetheart." His paw touched my cheek, then throat, peering skeptically at me. "And I bet there's a huge..." His voice trailed off.

I slowly folded myself into a sitting position and gingerly tugged the collar of my jumpsuit away from my fur. I grimaced and the nasty red marks.

"Is it bad?" Chip breathed from behind me.

I took a deep breath and focused on the wall of the hut. 'Bad' didn't really cover it. That angry red ring around my heart very plainly said that I should not be alive. Chip shouldn't be alive. Asani had sent those demons to kill us for Fat Cat. And if he had done it once, he could try again when he found out we weren't dead.

"It's bad," I heard myself answer.

I turned back to him. "Last night – how did he get rid of the leech?"

My paw was still clutching at the collar of my jumpsuit. Chip reached up and put his paw over mine. His voice was quiet. "I don't really know. He had Dale and I kneel next to you, then he kept chanting. He put his paw on my back, and I knew I was supposed to tell the leech to leave, and that it was going to obey."

"What did you say?"

He squeezed my paw gently, and I felt it warm against my heart. "I said, 'her heart is strong, and it is tied to mine.'"

"Why did you say that?" I whispered.

He glanced down, then back at my face. "I'm not sure. I know its true, but…but somehow its true beyond the fact that you're brave and that I love you."

The words were like a blessing, a promise, an invocation. They warmed me, every inch, into the very blood running through my veins again, tingling with power. They were true. We were linked on a visceral and infinite level. Somehow, we were closer now through Mwamba's actions than we ever would be through the words of any Justice of the Peace or minister. Their words could only bind us legally. Our own actions could only bind us physically. Mwamba had bound us where it counted most – spiritually, ethereally.

I blinked back tears. I needed that ring on my finger. In the middle of everything, when everyone would be wondering when it had happened and us too busy to tell them. Now. I bent down and kissed him, then slipped my paw into the inside pocket of his jacket where the fading velvet box lived. I opened it and slid the ring out of its holder, looking at its sparkle in the light dancing between the shafts of the hut.

Without saying anything, Chip took the ring from me and pulled me down onto the mat, right where I had woken up. He took my left paw in his and slid the ring onto my finger, kissing the side of my face. We stayed there a long time, thinking.

"I already feel like we're married," Chip whispered. "Mwamba married us."

"I feel the same way. Can we skip the engagement, Chip?" I asked, looking up at the ring on my finger. "Can we just go to the courthouse when we get home?"

"Yes," he answered, nuzzling me gently.

We held each other, unaware of the passage of time, until we heard Dale's voice outside, somewhere distant but coming closer.

"I hate to break the mood, Gadget, but people are going to come looking for us. It's probably pretty late in the morning." He nudged me gently and we sat up.

I ran a paw through my hair, trying to make myself semi-presentable. "What do you want to say when they ask about the ring?"

He kissed my cheek. "That it was time."

I turned to him and smiled. Our noses brushed, and he grinned and leaned in. Sometimes, even after two years, I couldn't think of words that described how I felt when we were so close. There were only definite feelings and things I knew at these moments, and this was one of them. We two were bound together, literally heart and soul, by ethereal forces beyond either of our sights. And now we were bound by the circle of gold on my finger, and everyone could see it.

It was late when Chip and I rejoined the land of the living. Sophia and Dale were carrying lunch back to the huts when we emerged.

"You are awake!" Sophia called, coming into the yard. "We were just about to rouse you."

"Thanks, Sophia," Chip said, moving to help her with the several small baskets she was carrying. They set them around the firepit and we all sat down to eat. As we did I noticed the scuffmarks in the dirt from our supernatural encounter.

"You can still see the marks," I said, glancing our yard.

Dale's gaze followed mine. "I'd like to be done with last night, thanks," he shuddered. "Creepy."

I saw Sophia touch his arm. "But you were very brave. I saw you fight the leech." Dale shuddered and shrugged.

"It was gonna hurt my friends."

"I believe Mwamba would say that your hearts were strong," she said sagely. Her tone became somewhat teasing. "And speaking of hearts, I notice there is something on your finger, Gadget."

That was it. Dale had grabbed my paw and was goggling at the diamond, words like 'gadzooks' and 'wowzer' coming heavily into play. Sophia was giggling and leaning over Dale's shoulder to see. I shot Chip a wry glance. Rescuing me from being mauled, he put and arm around me and fended Dale's paws away.

"Yes, we're engaged," he laughed.

A slew of questions poured from Sophia and Dale. Chip raised his paws to forestall them. "And please, don't ask any questions, because we don' t have any answers right now."

Dale gave Chip a dopey smile. "Oh, all right. But Chip - " he extended his paw to his friend, and Chip took it. "Congratulations."

Chip leaned over impulsively and hugged him.

Sophia took the moment to raise an eyebrow at me. "Gadget - "

I grinned. "Later, I promise."

She seemed somewhat satisfied with my unspoken promise to 'tell her everything' later, and we all went back to our lunches.

After lunch, the four of us headed out of the village, telling Endesha and Mwamba we were going to finish working on the _Bomb,_ as Dale had named our crop-dusting plane. The afternoon sun was beating fiercely by the time we reached the plane, and Chip was fanning himself with his hat. I didn't know how he was still managing to function in his leather bomber.

"Gee, aren't you hot?" I asked him as we set several water jugs down under a tall bush. He was looking a little queasy.

"Yeah," he panted. "I feel a bit sick."

"Stay here and lie down, Chipper," Dale said indicating the shade. "Maybe the leech got you worse than we thought," he said worriedly.

Chip shook his head. "It's probably the heat," he said in the voice he used to try and convince himself of things. "But I will lie down for a minute."

He hadn't offered any argument – a sure sign that he must feel awful. I was itching to get back to the plane, but I handed off my toolbox and kicked away some pebbles so that Chip could lie down comfortably. "Are you sure you'll be all right?"

"I'll be fine," he told me, kissing my cheek and lying down. "Go fix your plane, Hackwrench."

Work went a little slower without Chip to help, but Sophia and Dale and I managed pretty well. We worked steadily for about an hour, and were almost finished when Dale announced he was dying of thirst and went to retrieve the water jugs from the bush where Chip was sleeping.

"It is _very_ hot," Sophia said fervently, brushing another lock of her dark hair back behind her head scarf and sighing.

"It's probably over 105'," I grumbled, pulling furiously at a bolt that refused to thread properly. "Fahrenheit," I added. "But we're almost done."

"I wonder if there is a stream anywhere near that we could bathe," Sophia mused, turning back to her own set of bolts.

I was about to reply when I heard Dale scream. I spun, dropping my nutdriver and nearly knocking Sophia over.

"Gadget! Quick!" Dale shouted.

I dropped to all four paws and started running across the hot ground as fast as I could. In the shimmering distance I could see Dale shaking Chip, who didn't seem to be moving. I reached them seconds later, with Sophia only steps behind me.

Chip's eyes were half closed, and his breath was shallow and choppy. Dale shook his friend's shoulders hard. "Chip! Come on, wake up!"

"Is he too hot?" Sophia asked, both of us reaching to feel Chip's forehead at the same time.

He was very hot to the touch, but seemed to awaken slightly when all three of us were there.

"What's wrong?" I demanded shakily, leaning close to him.

He couldn't seem to draw breath, and his paws clawed hopelessly at his chest. We needed to get him cooled off, now.

"Dale, he's got heat stroke, get those water jugs and lets get his coat off him," I ordered.

Dale scrambled to get the water jugs, and I grabbed Chip around his middle and pulled him up so Sophia could get his arms out of the sleeves. She tossed his coat away, and I eased him back down onto the ground. "Chip? You've got heat stroke, but you're going to be okay, I promise." I grabbed hold of his paws that were still clawing at his chest. In an instant, his eyes were open and he was gasping in air, staring at me. He held my paw against him.

"Don't leave," he gasped, his body heaving with the sudden intake of oxygen. "I think one of those demons..."

It clicked. Something still had his heart. Our hearts were literally linked. I was keeping him alive. I looked up frantically and saw Dale lugging back a jug full of water. "Dale!"

He nearly dropped the jug and stared at me, terror on his face.

"Dale, get Mwamba! It's one of those demons," I shouted.

Dale's jaw trembled for a moment, then he turned raced away in a cloud of red dust back in the direction of the village. I looked down at Chip, my paw so firmly against his heart that I could feel it beating.

"He's going to get Mwamba," I told Chip, trying to sound comforting.

"The village is quite a distance," Sophia whispered.

Chip closed his eyes. "I'll be fine," he said. "Just _don't_ let go."

"Never."

Minutes dragged on, and I started to feel a little faint, then sleepy. I needed to be able to _do_ something for him. I wanted whatever it was inside him _out._ The tiredness perpetuated, and eventually I was completely exhausted. Sophia nudged me.

"Gadget, you're falling asleep!"

I shuddered and opened my eyes. Sophia pursed her lips and looked off in the distance for Dale. I looked down at Chip.

"How are you feeling?" I managed.

Our eyes locked. "It's getting worse again," he said quietly. "And it's hurting you."

"Dale will be back with Mwamba," I said sternly, hoping to avoid any arguments. I didn't have the energy. I sat for a few more moments, aware that his heart was beating faster in panic. Then, as if something had bashed me on the back of the skull, I tumbled down on top of his chest, nearly comatose. I could hear Sophia, but I couldn't answer her. I just heard Chip's heart, beating faster and faster below my cheek. Dimly, I remembered lying in a hospital ward aboard ship, listening to a heart monitor beep away with Chip's pulse. But that was forever ago. A lifetime ago...

"KANONI!" Mwamba's voice sliced through the murkiness around me and he dragged me off of Chip. I felt like I had been doused in water. I was totally alert, and I saw Mwamba and Endesha hit the ground next to us. Mwamba grabbed me by the shoulders. "Kanoni, are you awake?"

"Yes," I turned, looking down at Chip, who honestly looked like he was going into cardiac arrest. I felt horror, and an impulse to act, but before I could process what to do next, Mwamba had grabbed my paws and was holding them on Chip's chest.

Everything became a blur. Mwamba was chanting, Chip was screaming just like he had last night, and Dale, Sophia, and Endesha were shouting. And something slimy and disgusting was slowly coming to life and wriggling under my right paw. I screamed, trying to get away from the thing, but Mwamba kept his paws over mine like iron vices.

"No. You can do this, Kanoni, I can feel it."

For the second time today, Mwamba's words rang true. I _could_ do this. I had no idea _what_ I was doing, but I was doing it. I overcame the horror of whatever it was under my paw, and focused on my desire to get it out. Quickly, I felt the thing grow bigger until it was nearly the size of my paw. Then Mwamba's paw forced mine into a fist around the thing and pulled up.

I saw Mwamba open my paw to reveal a small, black, leech-like creature. I nearly choked with surprise, but was grotesquely fascinated at the same time. I knew about insects that lay eggs inside live hosts and let the eggs hatch and the young eat their way out, but that was as close as I could come to any logical explanation as to what I had just seen. What I had just done.

The thing grew hot to the touch, and Mwamba calmly took it in his other paw and tossed it into the air, where it vanished with a small pop. Below us, Chip clawed his way into a sitting position, holding his chest but breathing easier.

"What was that thing?" he asked, breathless.

"A smaller dart from Asani. I failed to see it last night. I apologize." Mwamba bowed slightly to Chip. "What I do not understand is _how_ I failed to see it."

Meanwhile, I was fitfully grabbing handfuls of sand and frantically scrubbing the gritty substance between my paws.

Mwamba looked at me, interested. "You feel contaminated?"

I kept scrubbing, panic rising in me. "Yes." I had to get it off, whatever _it_ was. Out, out damned spot...

The witch reached over and took my paws, then produced a small white stone from his satchel, which he passed over my burning paws. Immediately, the panic ebbed. Like a magnet drawing metal shavings, the stone removed the contaminants from me. I breathed easier. "Thanks." I watched him pass it over his own paws as well.

We settled into a circle on the ground under the bush, collecting ourselves. Chip pulled his jacket back on and gave Dale a comforting squeeze before addressing Mwamba. "Gadget saved me." It was not only a statement, but a question, and a very good one at that.

"Yes, Kanoni saved you. Her heart is very strong. She is a witch."

This didn't exactly answer all my questions – then again, I wasn't sure what questions I was supposed to be asking. I wasn't a witch, right? I was an engineer. I could understand Asani believing I was a witch because he didn't understand what my plane was, or that Chip had been flying it. But I couldn't understand why Mwamba was more and more convinced that I was actually a witch.

"Wait a minute. At first I thought you meant Gadget was a witch because she was our mechanic and Asani didn't understand the technology she was using. Now you're talking like she can actually control darts and stuff like you can," Chip argued. I was glad someone was asking questions.

"She can," Mwamba said very simply, shrugging. "She just didn't know she could."

"No, that was you. Just like last night when you had Chip tell the leech to leave me alone," I told him. "We weren't doing anything."

He frowned, as if unsure how to explain this to us. "I knew, and so did Asani, from the beginning, that you were a witch, Kanoni." He looked somewhat helplessly at Endesha, who smiled.

"If I may?"

"Please."

"Listen. There are certain criteria that any supernaturally gifted person must fulfill, anywhere in the world," Endesha began. "They must be in contact with, and have influence within, the supernatural. Where you come from, sometimes that is technology - at least technology has in some part replaced theologies. Here, it is spirits and darts. Here we call these people witches. In America, you call these people mechanics, engineers, or mathematicians. But no matter where they come from, or what they are called, they have certain similarities.

"They share smaller traits: for instance, the person must be somewhat removed from the society – have a difficulty making friends or understanding how everyone else seems to function. This person generally seems a little frightening to normal people, because they cannot understand them."

Dale chuckled. "Like when she says something's going to 'work with no problems.'"

This brought a general round of laughter from Sophia and the boys, and even myself. I knew only too well that my inventions frequently turned out to be slightly dangerous, and ducking was a safe idea when I said there would be 'no problems'.

Endesha nodded. "You see? Dale, Chip, you cannot control the inventions she makes, and you do not understand all the technical terms she uses to describe them. Think of this as the darts that Mwamba can control, and the chanting he uses to do so. I cannot understand, but I know there are darts because I have seen them, and I have watched him heal."

"Wait," I interrupted, "last night Chip saved _me_. How come he isn't a witch?"

Endesha smiled indulgently. "You call him 'Chief.' As your chief he is entitled to certain avenues to help control the supernatural – through someone else. Just like our Chief. He cannot do what Mwamba does. He requires Mwamba to protect him from the supernatural, and Mwamba requires our Chief to protect him from the natural. It is no different with you."

Supposedly, this was going to make me feel better. I fiddled absently with my goggles, turning things over in my mind. Mwamba and Asani evidently sensed that I was a witch. I was a witch because I could control mechanical things in a Western world setting, and somehow, the traits that I had as an individual within the Rangers set me apart enough that I was also set apart in other places in the world. But to the point that I could control the supernatural? _That's ridiculous,_ I told myself firmly. _Not really, you just pulled that dart out of Chip's chest, and that had nothing to do with mechanical prowess._

Maybe.

"There are other things too," Mwamba continued. "I dress differently." He rolled the bells on his skirt through his paw. "My bells let other people know my status as a witch. Asani also wears bells." You, I have noticed, where those." He pointed to my goggles. "What do they do?"

I tugged them free of my hair and handed them off. "They're my goggles," I said. "They protect my eyes while I'm working or flying."

He smiled and held them out to me. "And they tell other people what you are. Your bells."

I held my goggles, squinting at them in the firelight. They _did_ let people know what I was. Not everyone needed to wear goggles. But I was an inventor, not a witch. I stayed stoically silent, handling the rubbery blue material. I could sense everyone watching me; waiting for my reaction. Was I a witch or not?

"But...does that mean that any engineer who found themselves in our situation is also a witch?" I asked, deflated.

Mwamba reached forward and touched my knee. When he spoke, his voice was soft and comforting. "No. It takes something else too. This you have. Also, a witch in training must go through and ordeal before they can heal others. Last night was your ordeal, Kanoni. You used the strength of your heart to wipe the darts from Dale's eyes. You passed into the next world and returned when Chip called you back. Your heart learned to see the bad darts and magic, and to heal." He smiled benevolently. "When you came here, you were a witch simply because of your technology. But last night, when you were challenged, your heart learned, and today it was equal to the task of removing Asani's dart. It is likely this is why I did not see the dart in Chip last night – the spirits knew it was yours to remove."

I looked at the dirt. In some odd, unfamiliar way, I was pretty sure he was right. Kind of like the way two years ago I was pretty sure Sophia was right about Chip. Universal alignments, spirits, witches, the long arms of a crime syndicate linking the far-flung corners of the earth together...in the scheme of things, maybe it wasn't so crazy. Maybe, maybe I should believe it. After all, I firmly believed everything happens for a reason.

"The Ethereal Theory," I whispered.

"The what?" Chip asked, leaning forward.

I straightened up and looked at him. "The Ethereal Theory. Everything happens for a reason."

"There is undoubtedly a reason you came here Kanoni. You fought and overcame the supernatural forces you met here, just as tomorrow you will overcome the natural forces you will see. There will come a day when you are very glad you have learned to control these powers." Mwamba straightened and smiled approvingly at me, like a teacher to a pupil.

I raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. I'm pretty glad _today_ that I had some control," I answered, reaching to squeeze Chip's paw.

[TBC]

 _Your anthropology 1010 lesson for the day. You're welcome._


	11. Explosions

_Lets blow something up today, shall we? Cool beans. I own nothing._

 **Explosions**

I awoke before dawn Sunday morning, ready for our plan to go into action. I was more than ready for this rollercoaster ride to be over. All of us were worse for wear. Also, I was anticipating Monterey's return. He had radioed every day since leaving, but I had always been working on the _Bomb_ or scoping out the mine. It had been a long few days, and I wanted to see him again. Anxious to do something useful, I went to the edge of the village and got the head-sets out of the _Eagle_ and _Geegaw_ for the Rangers to use later today.

"Gadget-luv?"

I spun on the spot to see Monty, Jake, and Zipper approaching in the dim gray light of morning. "Monterey!" I ran into his waiting hug and held him fast. "I've been worried about you!"

"No worries, m'dear. I radioed every chance I got. You was never aroun' though." He patted my head reassuringly.

"We've been _very_ busy. I've got a lot to tell you -"

Zipper landed on my engagement ring and buzzed loudly.

"Wha? I'll say you do! When did 'e ask yeh?" Monty knelt down to look at my ring. Jake winked at me and bounced off in the direction of the huts.

"Yesterday morning."

"Wuz 'e sweet abou' it?" He kissed my forehead.

I grinned. "Very."

"Gadget-luv, I doubt e'll ever tell yeh, so I moight jes mention that 'e came an' asked me for yeh hand. Jes before Jake an' Zipper an' I left."

"Oh!" I was touched. "Like he would have asked dad?"

Monty took my face in his paws. "'E said 'e would 'ave asked Geegaw if 'e'd ever 'ad the opportunity, but since 'e wasn't aroun', I was the person to ask. I tol' 'him 'e was the luckiest chipmunk in the world if 'e could keep up with you. 'An 'e 'ad better treat you loik a queen."

Asking for the father for the girl's hand was an old-fashioned tradition to some, but I had always liked the idea of it. But when my dad had died, I had figured I would never get the opportunity to have that particular romantic notion fulfilled. I wouldn't have thought of sending Chip to Monty to ask permission to marry me. I was so glad he had, though.

"Oh, Monty, Chip has always treated me better than I deserve. _I'm_ the lucky one."

Monty chuckled. "Yeh're both lucky." He stood up and looked toward the village. The sun was just starting to come up over the horizon. "T'day's th' day, then. I got a good crowd 'a people tha'll be here jes behind me. They're ready ta' trash Fat Cat's office."

I nodded and we started to move back into the village. "Just be sure to keep all the paperwork. I'm sure Chip will want to look at it."

"No worries, Chip'll have 'is fill of paperwork by th' toime we get through with that place. 'An all the gold we foind will be put back in the mine for the humans to get back."

The village was slowly coming to life around us, and the villagers shot me stealthy looks, and I saw them pointing at me as I passed.

"What's up with them?" Monty whispered.

I sighed. "A _lot_ has happened since you left, Monty. The villagers think I'm a witch, though."

"A witch?!"

"Yes." I debated going into the story of being attacked by Asani's demons, dying, saving Chip, and decided he probably just didn't need to know right then. "They think the _Eagle_ and the _Geegaw_ are actually a bird and some other animal that I can summon to save me."

"'Ave they tried to tamper with 'em?"

"No. I think they're a bit scared of them. And me," I added, as a small child scampered out of my path.

"What gave 'em that idear?" He glanced at me suspiciously.

Supposing the story about Jules was easier to explain than the alternative, I told him. "The night you left, I heard something outside in the yard. I went out to see what it was, and I met Jules. Sophia and I followed him, and he led us to Fat Cat. Fat Cat has a herd of hyenas and wild dogs, and he sent them to chase us, but Chip showed up in the _Eagle_ and dropped the _Geegaw_ for us to escape."

Monty wiped his brow and sighed. "Sounds dangerous," he said as we walked into the yard around our huts.

I was grateful to find that the rest of the Rangers and Sophia were already up, milling around to get some breakfast ready. The appearance of Monty and Zipper produced a wave of raucous greetings as everyone moved to hug them. When Chip and Monty met, Monty grabbed his paw and pumped it up and down vigorously. "Congratulations, Chipper-me-lad."

Chip blushed a bit. "Thanks, Monty."

I handed out head-sets as we all sat down around the firepit in the fresh light and started breakfast. As we finished our meal, Endesha appeared to announce that a large group of mice from other villages had arrived and were ready when we were.

Chip took a deep breath and stood up. "All right, Rangers, here's the plan. All of us wear a head-set today – I don't want anyone getting separated. We move in at noon. That way, if there _are_ any humans or anyone else in the mine today, hopefully they'll have left for lunch. Monty, Zipper, you're in charge of the getting everyone into Fat Cat's office. Get his gang out of there, and get the gold out to put it back in the mine so the humans can find it. If there are any records, I want them intact. I'm hoping the hyenas and wild dogs don't show up, but if they do - "

"We'll take care of 'em," Monty declared, slamming his fist into his palm.

"Right. At the same time, Gadget will take Mwamba up to Fat Cat's office in the plane so everyone can see they're working together. He'll take care of you if Asani should show up. Gadget, get in there and blow up that mine shaft – and please don't kill yourself doing it."

"Roger that, Chief."

Chip shook his head and looked over at Dale and Sophia. "Dale, take Sophia and get the _Geegaw._ I'll be in the _Eagle._ If anything goes wrong anywhere, we can get there fastest, okay?"

"You got it, Chipper," Dale saluted.

"Endesha, go tell everyone we're ready, and have Mwamba come down here. Gadget and I will fly the _Bomb_ up here so everyone can see Mwamba get in."

Endesha grinned and rushed off. Chip was a little anxious, I could tell, but this _was_ the biggest case we'd probably ever had. He had every right to be a little apprehensive. The rest of us were excited. After days of being acted upon, pushed around and pursued by Fat Cat and Asani, it felt good to finally be striking back and doing something productive.

As we broke to get to our stations, I saw Chip pull Sophia aside and point at the radio that Endesha kept near his hut. She nodded uncertainly for a moment, then her face broke into an enormous smile and she raced away for the radio. Chip joined me to fly the _Eagle_ over to pick up the _Bomb._

"What was that all about?" I asked, remembering a few days ago when Chip had way-layed Monterey and then avoided the question.

"I told her to go ahead and radio Tony. If everything goes according to plan today, she should be able to start filming again soon. And besides, the sooner she wraps this movie, the sooner she can be your maid of honor, right?"

My own face broke out in a smile. "Right. Let's get this done, Chief."

Dale was whistling _High Noon_.

Monty, Zipper, and Jake had organized about 30 mice and other rodents just outside the village and via Endesha were giving them last minute instructions.

I had gone over the _Bomb_ three times, twice with Chip, then he had gone over the _Eagle_ and _Geegaw_. Sophia had moved from one of us to the other urging us to be careful until Dale had grabbed her shoulders and told her she was making him nervous.

Mwamba had set himself in the shade of the _Bomb_ , chanting and rolling his bells and strategically placing small stones and seeds on the ground in front of him. I wasn't sure what he was doing, but I was glad he was doing it.

Then at last, Chip called out that it was time. Mwamba rose from the ground and followed me over to the old crop-duster. It would be a little cramped for him, but he was only going to be flying with me for a few minutes, then I'd drop him off at Fat Cat's office. Dale and Sophia would follow us over, along with our small army of eager soldiers.

I pressed the release on the cockpit of the _Bomb_ and wrenched it open. Mwamba gave me a meaningful glance, and I bowed to him and stood back for him to clamber in ahead of me. He had asked me to do this – it would be another sign to the watching villagers that he and I were working together, but he was definitely the one in charge.

Before I could climb in after him, I felt a paw grab my arm and I was pulled around, finding myself face to face with Chip. He glanced at the crowd watching us, then pulled off both of our head sets.

"Gadget – I know I've said it a hundred times, and I know you always are, but _please_ be careful in there."

I hugged him. "I will, I swear. I'm coming back, and we're going home and getting married, Chip. If anything goes wrong in there, it won't be because of me, all right?" It was the best I could do. Any number of things could go wrong, and some of the probably _would_ go wrong, but it was not going to be my fault if I died today.

"Okay," he said, kissing my cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Now go blow up that mine, Hackwrench."

"Yes, sir," I saluted him and climbed into the plane with Mwamba, lowering the cockpit. "Are you ready?" I asked him.

"Yes. Are you, Kanoni?"

I started the engine and felt a bone-rattling jolt as the plane roared to life for the last time. "As ready as I'll ever be," I answered, suddenly realizing that he hadn't called me 'Gadget' since the night of the Leech attack. Apparently, the new name was permanent for him. "Is Mwamba your real name?" I asked as we rose into the air.

He smiled sadly at me. "It is my name now. It is not my birth name."

"Who named you Mwamba?"

"A witch called Denga who lived here many years ago. He trained me, and also another witch from this area, who is my father's brother's son. We were called together and we learned together."

"Who was the other witch?" I asked, wondering why we hadn't bothered to call in Mwamba's cohort.

"Asani."

Jules Crissen had slept badly again that night. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that he had merely napped for 40 minutes before awaking and staring at the dark ceiling, wondering what he should do, and what Fat Cat was going to do next.

Fat Cat was uneasy, he could tell. Asani had been fairly tight-lipped about the Leech attack three nights ago. He had mentioned that Sophia had not been targeted by his demons, but had said little else. Jules had no idea if the Rangers were incapacitated or simply dead. The twisting in his stomach made it very clear to him that he wanted them alive and well. For Sophia's sake.

But Fat Cat was waiting on meat hooks for some new development. All Asani would say was, "Mwamba will come." Jules understood that Mwamba was another witch, the one that the villagers were using to keep Asani away, but as three days had passed and Mwamba had not shown his face, Jules was beginning to doubt that _he_ had survived the Leech attack.

With a heavy heart he had gotten ready for the day that morning, but he had made a decision. If Mwamba had not come by tonight, he was leaving. He would leave Fat Cat and all the pleasant 'set ups' he was offering, and flee back to Sophia. There was no chance at all she would forgive him, and no reason she should, but she would know that he had left Fat Cat. He had taken a stand and changed sides, blatantly, obviously. And perhaps she would hate him less.

He did not know what would happen to him after today, but he also found that he no longer cared. As long as he was no longer here.

These were his thoughts as he sat in the empty office, slowly sorting through the letters with updates from Fat Cat's liasons, filing away the daily gold weight count sheets. Fat Cat and his underlings were up at the mine, looking into the possibility of creating a second tunnel through which to move the gold. He was totally alone with his thoughts.

Until Asani barged through door.

"Crissen," he hissed, the door squeaking on its hinges. "Get out."

Jules cringed under the witch's command, and actually threw up an arm to shield himself. Asani had never addressed him directly, much less in such a voice.

The dark and foul-smelling witch pointed at the window. "Mwamba is coming," he growled. "And the other witch, the Kanoni."

"Other witch?" Jules stammered.

"The one you said was dead and is not. Gadget. They are coming." He strode into the room, his bells jangling and the whites of his eyes flashing. He grabbed the other side of the desk Jules was seated at, and Jules cried out in alarm.

"Do not whimper!" Asani shouted. "I am going to fight Mwamba and Kanoni, but I will not protect you from them!" He sneered at Jules. "Your loyalty is no longer to Fat Cat anyway."

Jules cringed and stumbled away from the desk, then, clawing blindly in front of him, made his way out the door without taking his eyes off of Asani. When he reached the hallway, he fled. He ran distractedly, crashing into walls and furniture as he rushed out of the underground office and out into the hot mid-day air. He didn't stop moving until he staggered and fell out in the open, the red dirt smearing his vest.

There was a terrible droning sound emerging from the stillness. From the direction of the village where Sophia was, a growling, roaring sound was rolling slowly over the sand and grasses. Unable to grasp what could possibly make such a sound, Jules scrambled to the top of the nearby sand dune and looked into the distance, shielding his eyes from the sun.

The first thing Jules saw was a small plane, droning in the distance, moving towards him. Below it, a plume of dust from something else. The plane was not the one that the Rangers had used earlier, but the dust trail could easily mean the vehicle that had picked up Sophia and Gadget was coming.

Spell-bound, he watched the plane come closer and closer, until it was nearly overhead and he realized it was banking downwards, coming to land. Jules was frozen on the spot as the small, decrepit old plane touched down a few yards away. A dark mouse with bells on his skirt emerged, and landed on the ground. Jules watched as the plane rose again, and he saw her – Gadget – inside it. She flew towards the mine.

The dark mouse with the bells saw him and came towards him, motioning for him to move. "You must go, now, before it is too late!" He shouted over the din of the engine.

Jules licked dry lips. Another witch? It had to be Mwamba.

"Kanoni is going to blow up the mine. If you want to be safe, you need to leave," the mouse ordered, coming closer. Jules could see him better now.

"Mwamba?"

"That's right. Leave if you value your life."

Two witches telling him the same thing within five minutes: leave. It was exactly what he had wished to do in the first place. And he definitely had no desire to be trapped in the midst of a witch's brawl. Yet...

"Sophia. Is she safe?" His heart nearly stopped.

Mwamba actually grasped his arms. Unlike Asani's presence, Jules did not viscerally fear this witch. Mwamba felt benign, if somehow also powerful. "She is safe for now. She is coming with Dale, in the vehicle, to help. You should go, Jules Crissen."

Sophia was safe. Gadget was going to blow up the mine. Dale was evidently safe. Then maybe the rest of the Rangers were too. Mechanically, Jules nodded and began moving away, away from the oncoming din of the dark vehicle with Sophia and Dale, and away from the mine and Fat Cat. At the end of the day, maybe Mwamba would tell Sophia that he, Jules Crissen, had chosen to leave Fat Cat. Maybe she would hate him less.

As he reached the grasses and began pushing through them, he felt an enormous weight lift from his heart. He had left. He had acted. Fat Cat could no longer count on him for anything. He was _free._

An explosion, coming from the mine, jolted him back into his senses. A plume of smoke and rock was issuing from the mouth of the mine where Fat Cat sent his workers in. Clearly, Gadget had made it in and was busy demolishing it. It seemed a dangerous thing to do at best, but the Rangers seemed to enjoy risk.

Jules frowned and watched as another plume of smoke, several feet further on, erupted from the rock face. If Gadget followed that cavern all the way through, she would come out on the west side, near the boulder field. He had crawled through that cavern several times himself, and knew that a plane would have a dickens of the time negotiating the final twist before coming out on the other side. It was very likely that something would go wrong.

A thought occurred to him. Fat Cat may no longer be able to count on him, but maybe...maybe the Rangers could. And by extension, perhaps Sophia could. Having made his decision, Jules squared his shoulders and began moving towards the boulder field with purpose.

The mineshaft seemed darker than it had in the _Eagle_ , but I steeled myself and plunged forward, working the release on the dynamite at predetermined intervals. The first sticks of dynamite dropped properly and exploded exactly when I expected them too. So did the second and third charges. I was starting to believe that this might actually go well when I heard a heart-stopping fizzing sound behind me. In quick, detached motions I glanced behind me, trying to steer in the dark at the same time. The lighter I had attached to the duster's opening, stuck in the 'on' position, had come loose. Dynamite sticks were lighting, but not dropping.

I gasped and grabbed at the duster controls, initiating an emergency dump of the cargo area. The dynamite fell, and as I alternately spun my head from side to side over the course of several precious seconds, so did the lighter.

For exactly two seconds I breathed easier. Then a massive explosion behind me sent the _Bomb_ hurtling towards the cavern ceiling, and a shower of glass from the cockpit roof rained down on me as I grappled to regain control of the plane and ride the shockwave out.

But I wasn't sure I could make it out; I couldn't see the shaft's opening. Debris and rocks were flying, battering the _Bomb,_ and for a few excruciating moments I feared I wouldn't find the opening at all. My mental map and muscle memory failed me in my panic. I swung hard to the left as more of the ceiling fell in on me, clattering on my helmet. In the headset, I could hear many voices at once shouting and demanding. People wanted to know where I was. The mine was obviously exploding, but I was still conspicuously absent. A few people were cheering the mine's collapse. People were shouting about Fat Cat. Monterey had infiltrated the office. Mwamba and Asani were fighting. But as I tumbled through the last 50 feet of the shaft, I clung on to the one high voice that was saying my name, over and over.

The _Bomb's_ engine wheezed and groaned, and I began losing precious altitude and careening too closely around rocks. With a jolt I felt the back of the plane crack, snapping noises crawling all over the body. Then a rock fell right through the left wing, but I was almost out, almost safe... Ten feet, five feet, two feet...

The fresh air swirled into the _Bomb's_ straining engine, and miraculously, it lifted higher and I was able to move away from the avalanche that was pouring out of the shaft's maw behind me. And then the controls jammed.

I craned my neck around in panic as the _Bomb_ dropped lower and lower, not responding to the controls. The mine spouted a violent stream of large rocks, projecting them right toward me.

The headset had gone silent, as if everyone was watching my demise, but unable to help. I was nearly 200 ft. off the ground when the _Bomb_ 's engines choked and I stalled in the air. I heard Chip's voice over the headset.

"Gadget! Get out of there!"

I reached underneath my seat and grabbed the ejection cord, even though I knew I was ridiculously too high to eject, and he did too. It would only throw me another thirty feet in the air. Even if the parachute worked, the chances of me landing safely in the middle of a hailstorm of rocks and debris were frankly zero. But I couldn't stay here either.

"Gadget, can you hear me?"

I let out the breath I was holding and looked out the window. My plane, my beloved _Eagle_ with my even more beloved Chip, was hovering beyond the storm of rocks. He knew if he took the plane in it would be scrap metal, just like this one. He had to get everyone else home, at least.

"Chip?" I whispered, my fingers tightening on the pull cord, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." And then I yanked the cord hard, and felt myself being propelled up into the midst of the maelstrom, without even the plane to protect me now.

The parachute opened and slowed me, and I saw the _Bomb_ careen into the ground below, sending up a plume of flame and smoke. I steered around, coming down slowly. At around fifty feet, a pebble-sized sharp rock gashed my chute and I found myself hurtling towards the ground.

Ripped though it was, the chute saved my life, and I bounced to a halt on the ground just as the earth heaved again, and another volley of rock came blasting from the mine, and I had landed in the middle of it.

I tried to get up, to run for cover, but my chute was caught under a rock. I was trapped. Holding my breath, I ran back to the rock that was holding me hostage and crouched down behind it, covering my head from the hailstorm of rocks.

I had used too much explosive in the mine. The instability of the rock formation coupled with the massive amounts of electrical wiring and possibly nearby petroleum tanks had trigged a chain reaction through the entire mine. The rocks would not stop flying for another few minutes, and I hadn't much cover.

A smaller rock hurtled into my shelter, shattering and showering down on me. Despite my helmet, the blow to my skull was solid, and I found myself lying splayed and prone, too dizzy to move at all. A detached part of my senses heard heavy breathing, and then whoever was doing the breathing threw itself over me, covering my head under their chest, and shielding the rest of me with their long torso.

I tried to move, to see who it was, but my breath was still gone, and my head still spinning. Rocks poured around my protector and me, and inevitably, one of them finally struck whoever was on top of me, and must have struck hard, for the heavy breathing all but stopped, and the form lay limp on top of me. Whatever rock battered us now went un-noticed by my rescuer.

At long last, the rock stopped falling, and a deathly quiet filled the air. There should have been raucous celebrations; the mine had obviously blocked itself beautifully, leaving Fat Cat with nowhere to go, and the realization that we too, had a witch. And as far as the locals were concerned, we were the obvious winners. Except for whoever was on top of me, now buried in debris and unmoving.

"Gadget, where are you?" Chip and Dale's voices, in unison, hit the air hard. I could hear them huffing, as if running, and figured they must have left the _Eagle_ and _Geegaw_ and were on the ground looking for me.

Breathing was difficult under such a heavy load, but I thankfully was still wearing the headset. "Under here...under the rocks."

That would be painfully obvious- there were rocks everywhere. I waited for them, but they couldn't find me. Chip was keeping a running commentary inside me helmet, but I couldn't help him. I didn't know which pile of rocks I was being crushed under, and speaking of being crushed, I could scarcely draw breath.

I gasped dryly and gave a last effort at movement and managed to shift some of the rocks over my legs. The boys heard it and seconds later I felt the rocks around me lighten and crunch as they were heaved away. Then sunlight touched my face through the helmet, and a pair of paws dragged the poor creature off of me. Chip rolled me off my face and pulled my helmet off, and I gasped for air and fell against him.

"Who -" My breath failed me for a moment, and then I rallied. "Who was that?" I pulled myself upwards by Chip's shoulder, and he steadied me while I saw for myself.

Dale and Sophia were on their knees beside us, and splayed across both of them was Jules, bloodied and shrunken from the bombardment. His eyes were dim, but open, and he was looking frantically into Sophia's face. He spoke.

"I...I don't suppose you could...forgive...a bloody fool of a mouse?" His chest tried desperately to rise, to let his heart beat, but failed. "I am sorry...Sophia."

Sophia looked horrified for several long seconds before her face softened and she bent her dark head lowered over his. "I can. I do."

Seeming to know his moments were numbered, he did not pause here, but turned and looked at me with the same pleading in his eyes. "And you, Gadget?" He heaved and shook. Dale steadied him while Sophia wept. "I am...so glad...you are not dead."

I felt speechless and stunned. Jules had saved me; had sacrificed himself for me. His distress in Fat Cat's office earlier suddenly made sense. He was still carrying a torch for Sophia. Whether or not that absolved him of previous crimes I didn't know, but I did know I wasn't going to hold a grudge against a dying man. "Of course, Jules." I crawled over and touched his cheek and smiled. "I forgive you. And thank you."

Around me, Chip and Dale were nodding firmly. Chip put an arm around my shoulders. "Thank you, Jules."

The mouse barely nodded and looked back to Sophia, who tried her best to smile at him. He closed his eyes to her smile, and did not open them again.

I was stunned. Sophia's eyes sought mine, and then held my gaze for several long seconds. I saw the same astonishment and confusion in her eyes that I felt. Whatever twisted path had led Jules here, we would never know. But he had asked for forgiveness, and we had given it.

Sophia grasped at my arm, lowering her face to my shoulder, sobbing. "Gadget, Gadget," she whimpered softly. I pulled her into a hug, trying to comfort her.

" _Laddies!"_ Monterey's voice ripped into my ear, and I instinctively grabbed at the headset.

" _Laddies! Jake an' I 'ev trashed the office, but they're comin', lads. Fat Cat is on his way to you now with a bunch of 'is stooges, 'an you better be ready! I've nevah seen 'im this angry before."_

[TBC]


	12. Witch

_I don't actually remember writing this chapter. And no, it wasn't because I was drunk, it was because I wrote it late one night when I was supposed to be working on my thesis. Surprisingly, when I found it five months later, it was actually fairly decent. :) Remember, I own nothing._

 **Witch**

Chip and Dale leapt to their feet, scanning the horizon. "There," Dale said, pointing to a cloud of dust making its way towards us. "That's got to be him."

Chip pressed his headset into his ear. "Monty, we have a visual on him. Can you and Jake and everyone get here ASAP? I have a feeling we're going to need help."

" _We's tryin' Chip. We's taken a wollop, but this is one fight I intend ta finish! Is Gadget all roight?"_

Chip glanced down at me. "She's a bit beaten up, but she's fine. Thanks to Jules - he saved her from the explosion."

" _Crikey. Bless me, I thought 'e was a bad 'un for sure."_

"I hate to break it up, guys, but Fat Cat is almost here," Dale said edgily. "We need to find cover or something to fight with."

Chip looked around. "The _Eagle_ and the _Geegaw_ are that way. Let's move," he ordered. "Dale, help me carry Jules. Gadget, get going."

I hauled Sophia to her feet and began dragging her towards the vehicles. From Monty's warning, and the steadily approaching cloud of dust from the mine area, I felt a sense of foreboding. If Fat Cat caught us out here, there would be nothing we could do. And in my exhausted state, the game of cat and mouse likely wouldn't last long.

Chip and Dale picked up Jules' body and Dale slung him over his shoulder, running on two feet with Chip close beside him. A quick glance behind us told me that Fat Cat was moving fast, and I could hear him now. Angry cats and yipping hyenas. It made my blood run cold.

"Come on, Sophia!"

"Gadget, what do we do?"

I clambered up the slope towards the vehicles, realizing that Dale wasn't going to make it up with Jules on his back. "Get in the _Eagle_ , Sophia, you'll be safer there. Fat Cat won't be able to catch you once it's airborne."

"What about Dale and Jules?"

"I'll get them," I promised, shoving her towards the _Eagle_ and then getting inside the _Geegaw._ From here, I could run distraction and give Chip and Dale more time to get to the plane. With a roar, the _Geegaw's_ engine came to life and I hit the pedal, sailing off the slope and driving at full speed towards the boulder field that Fat Cat and his cronies had just entered on the other side.

It was a horrifying sight. I'd never seen Fat Cat like this – so cat-like. The feline crook was refined, poised, calculated, and savvy. But the grey and white mass of speed and anger that was hurling itself towards Chip and Dale was definitely _not_ Fat Cat as I knew him. He was feral in this moment, and it terrified me. Instinct is a strong thing in us animals, and the sight of a vicious cat running directly towards me was threatening to make me forget that I was in an armored vehicle, and that in less than a minute I would have a plane and artillery at my disposal.

I couldn't help myself. "Chip! Chip, _hurry_!" I shouted into the headset.

After what seemed like an eternity, he answered. "Gadget, we're in the _Eagle_ now! Just keep away from him, he'll rip you to shreds!" I could hear the panic in his voice, too.

"I know!"

I slammed on the pedals, pulling into a handbrake turn and flicking dust upwards just as Fat Cat pounced. The dirt hit him in the eyes and I sped away, belatedly realizing the fringes of the boulder field were somewhat high, and that I would not be able to get back up the small ledge I had driven off earlier. I was trapped again.

In my mirror, I saw air soft pellets being fired towards Fat Cat and the gang – no, pack – that had caught up with them. This was not Fat Cat and cronies; this was Cats and Hyenas…chasing me.

The pellets did almost nothing to deter them this time, and my heart leaped into my throat when the space in front of my windshield abruptly became a wall of fur. I slammed into it hard, my head pinging off the steering wheel, and my feet hitting randomly at pedals. Nothing.

"Gadget! Gadget are you all right!?"

Dazed, I pulled myself together and realized that Fat Cat had caught the _Geegaw_. He was holding it up to his face, and I was eye to eye with him. I gulped. "Not really, Chip."

Funny how this seemed so much more final than the _Bomb_ disintegrating around me.

"We'll get you out of there!"

Fat Cat's face was stretching into a merciless grin.

"Get away, Chip," I gagged. "Just get away."

"No! We're not leaving you!"

"Just go - "

I never finished my sentence because at that moment Fat Cat smashed the _Geegaw_ against a boulder. The windshield shattered, and the front of the vehicle crumpled up towards me. All of my instincts kicked in and I clawed my way out of my seat belt, scrambling towards the rear of the vehicle. Fat Cat swung again, and I screamed and clung to the rear door as the _Geegaw_ tore in half, and I was suddenly exposed to the sun.

"There you are!" Fat Cat shrieked, eyes widening at the sight of me.

" _GADGET!"_

I had no idea what I was doing – I was not thinking – but I jumped. I leaped from the ruins of the _Geegaw_ and ran for all I was worth towards the nearest boulder. Fat Cat was centimeters behind me: I could feel his hot, raw breath and his claws slashing at the air behind my tail.

I dodged from rock to rock, my heart hammering. Fat Cat and every single one of his pack were on top of me, hissing, growling, shrieking. Dimly, very dimly, I could hear Chip and Dale shouting in panic and rage, and the drone of the _Eagle_ above me. The _Eagle_ was doing nothing that would stop the angry horde.

I wasn't aware how long or how far I had run, but suddenly the ground in front of me opened up into grassland and there were no more boulders to hide under. I had no thought of turning around and going back to the boulder field, even though my chances of survival were higher there. I was incapable of everything except running.

Running.

Running out of time.

Running out of air.

Running out of strength.

A claw snagged my tail and I went flying forward, and then fell on my side and tumbled to a stop. I couldn't breath anymore. I couldn't move. I was on my back and I looked up into a circle of panting, angry feline faces. I was done.

I closed my eyes. Chip was going to lose a Ranger today. I just hoped he would forgive himself for it.

 _Kanoni._

The snarling and heavy breathing came closer to me, stirring my hair.

Chip's desperate voice broke in my ear. "Gadget! Gadget, get up! Gadget! Get…get up! _Please!_ "

I shook my head. I had no voice left.

 _Kanoni_.

"You pathetic, filthy rodent," I heard Fat Cat say, and felt the spray of his spit on my face.

 _Kanoni. Call them._

What?

Suddenly, a hot gust of wind swept through the grasses and I heard the most bizarre things: bells ringing, and then a lion roaring. I opened my eyes.

Fat Cat had frozen inches above me, staring at something I could not see. The pack of animals with him was rising up, uncertain. I could taste the fear on them.

 _Kanoni. Get up._

It was Mwamba's voice in my head. I frowned. _I can't_ , I thought.

 _You can. You are Kanoni. Stand up and call the spirits. We are going to fight together._

Fat Cat actually backed a pace away from me, and his cronies were clustering around him. The gust of wind again, and more bells, louder now.

"Gadget," Chip's voice whispered in my ear. "You really need to get up. Mwamba is here."

With a massive effort, I climbed to my feet and looked towards whatever had Fat Cat transfixed. Mwamba was standing on an inverted bucket amidst a littering of trash from the miners. In his paws he was holding long strands of bells. I took a staggering step towards him.

"Mwamba?" I managed.

"Kanoni. We are going to fight together." He looked at Fat Cat. "I have taken Asani's bells from him. He will not be helping you any longer. You are going to leave, cat."

Fat Cat spat. "I'm not leaving without at least one Ranger dead and gone for good, mouse." He reached for me and I somehow found the strength to drop to four paws and run towards Mwamba.

"Stop," Mwamba ordered him. "Or you will face my own spirits."

Fat Cat paused, and as I reached Mwamba I turned back to watch him, licking his mouth. "Your spirits? Hah, Asani couldn't even use his spirits to finish off a few measly rodents. What makes you think you can hurt us?"

Mwamba nodded. "Because my spirits are very different, Fat Cat. And so are Kanoni's."

Alarmed, I looked up at Mwamba. "Mwamba, we've been through this," I said through gritted teeth. I hoped it was a ruse, because I was useless to him. I was barely standing.

"Meet one of my spirits, Fat Cat. He is strong enough that you should be able to see him, I think."

There was a rustling motion behind us, and I turned to see a leopard, big and silky, step out of the bush. It stalked towards Fat Cat, stopping beside the termite mound. I stared at it in astonishment. For a moment I thought it was a…corporeal…leopard, but it most definitely was not. The longer I watched it, the more I felt of it. The leopard's coat changed color, from tan to orange to purple and back. The air around the creature was sweet and somehow cooler, and the tense swaying of its tail did not generate any wind.

"Can you feel it, Kanoni?" Mwamba asked gently.

"Yes," I answered, astonished.

"Call your spirits."

"I don't - "

"What did Asani think you called?"

I took a breath, trying to rid my mind of how ridiculous this was. "A bird."

"You fly, Kanoni. Call the birds."

Absurd. A random image of _Mary Poppins_ flashed through my mind, followed by an image of Midge flying blindly towards the grotesque statue of a woman all because…. "Ohmygosh. Chip? Chip, I need a giant electromagnet."

"Uh…I don't think we packed the giant electromagnet," Chip stuttered, clearly still trying to process what was going on. "Is that going to help?"

"Can you see the leopard?" I asked.

I heard Chip and Dale muttering together. "Gadget, it's just you and Mwamba down there," Dale said in a strained voice.

I grinned. "It's not. And I need an electromagnet." I looked up at Mwamba, who smiled at me.

"You are the mechanic, right? You are standing in a trash pile."

My grin widened and I spun around to see what I had to work with. I scanned the debris quickly: nails, tires, timbers, wire…I could _make_ one, but I had only seconds. There: a stereo speaker from the mine's speaker system. Even if the speaker were broken, the electromagnet would still work as long as I could charge it.

Fat Cat made an experimental swipe at the leopard, who growled in return.

"Hurry, Kanoni," Mwamba urged.

"Got it." I dashed towards the speaker, snatching up a long thin scrap of metal as I went. "Chip, I need you to bring the front of the _Geegaw_ over here immediately."

I prized open the speaker and stripped out the electromagnet, hauling it towards Mwamba and his leopard. "Mwamba, I have an electromagnet, but I need to make it stronger."

He smiled at me tiredly. "Use that magnet. Kanoni, start _thinking_. Focus. How did you remove the dart from Chip?"

"I wanted it out more than I wanted anything else."

"Make your magnet stronger in your mind. Envision what you want it to do."

I took a breath and nodded, looking at the leopard and at Fat Cat, who was starting to stray closer, determination to kill me still in his eyes. Above me, the _Eagle_ hovered and gently deposited the wreck of the _Geegaw_ at my feet. Thanks to the damage from the boulder, the battery pack was easily accessible, and I removed it and hooked it up to the electromagnet, standing well back.

"Chip, get the _Eagle_ away from here – I don't want this to interfere with the controls."

"It will not," Mwamba said with effort. "It will listen to you."

I swallowed hard and nodded.

"Enough of this nonsense," Fat Cat snarled, coming to all fours and beckoning his henchmen with a nod of his head. "There is no leopard, is there?"

The leopard, somewhat affronted, growled and strode forward to stand between Fat Cat and us.

"Care to test that?" Mwamba asked.

I gritted my teeth and thought hard about the electromagnet. I amplified the power of it, shielded the _Eagle_ from it, and thought about birds. _My magnet is strong enough to direct birds here. And birds are smart; a big enough flock could make formations, like the bees that Irwina had hypnotized. But I was asking for help, not demanding it…_

I heard screeching in the air above me, and I looked up in astonishment to see exactly what I wanted: a flock of birds soaring towards me.

"Well done, Kanoni." Mwamba told me. "Shall we begin?"

I stared upwards, past the _Eagle_ , to the flock of birds circling us, filtering the hot sunlight. They were real birds, I knew that, but somehow, I could also sense that they could hear what I was thinking, and were willing to help. Well then…

"Yes."

I smiled up at the birds. _Run Fat Cat and his boys out of here. The Kidari and everyone else need our help._ I thought about the suffering that Fat Cat had brought upon animals across the world: the burning Waldorf Astoria, the RA members kidnapped in the coup, the stock market failing, all the notes and strings on the peg board in Chip's bedroom, Jules' body, lying across the hot ground… I let them understand the magnitude of what Fat Cat had done. I showed them the leopard, and that it was going to help. They heard every word, and as one, they dove towards Fat Cat.

At the same moment, the leopard exploded forward with a roar. Any pretense of fighting the spirit leopard to get to me vanished, and Fat Cat turned on his back paws and skidded away, running with his pack. The birds swooped and pecked, holding the panicking animals in one body as the leopard chased them, and I knew where they were headed.

"To the Gorge," Mwamba said with finality.

"To the Gorge," I repeated. As the melee moved further away, I felt my legs give away beneath me.

"It's all right, Kanoni. It is over."

And I closed my eyes.

[TBC]


	13. Wear a Red Poppy

**WEAR A RED POPPY**

I awoke inside the _Eagle_ , lying on a bench in the cargo area. Besides the steady thrum of the engine, all I could hear was quiet whispering.

"There, Chip. Near that rise on the ground," I heard Endesha say.

Moments later, I felt the _Eagle_ banking and then finally settle on the ground. I pushed up from the bench and looked around. The first thing I saw was the opposite bench, where a white cloth was covering what had to be Jules' body. Swallowing hard at the lump in my throat, I turned towards the cockpit area, where the Rangers, Sophia, Jake, Endesha, and Mwamba were. Every last one of us was battered and worn, exhausted in body and spirit.

"Gadget," Sophia said quietly, and came to embrace me. "You were marvelous."

I shook my head and held her to me, glad of something sturdy to hold onto. "Thanks."

The ramp opened, letting in hotter, stale air and tepid light. "We are going to bury Jules," Endesha said.

Without speaking, everyone filed slowly down the ramp. Chip came last and put his arm around my waist, helping me down. "Everyone is okay," he whispered, "except Mwamba. He looks worse than all of us combined. Except maybe you, Hackwrench. You look pretty awful."

I leaned my head on his shoulder. "Thanks, sweetheart." I paused before adding, "Asani was Mwamba's cousin."

He jerked his head to look at me. "His _cousin_? Gadg, I think he…"

I sighed. "Killed him? I don't know."

Chip swallowed hard. "Could this day get any worse?"

"We won," I reminded him automatically.

"The cost was too high," he said firmly. "We lost people. I nearly lost you twice."

"I don't know, Chip. Everything this year: the oil slick, this whole case…sometimes you have to pay a price for peace that's higher than a few bruises. We usually get away with winning very easily. Maybe it's time to pay up."

He shook his head resolutely. "No, Gadget. I don't think I'm strong enough to pay that kind of price."

We stopped and I looked at his profile, battered and bent, but still standing. Still working. I pushed his fedora back and petted the matted fur around his face. "I think you are, Chip. I think that's what makes you do this. You know the price and you've always been willing to pay it. You don't want anyone else to have to pay; you'll do it for them. That makes you strong, Chip. It makes you wise and loving and the baddies we run up against know it. They can see how much you'll sacrifice, and it scares them, because they can't possibly care that much. We win because of that, Chip. We win because you're strong. Because your heart is strong."

Chip closed his eyes, then turned to me and dropped his head to my shoulder. I held his arms and let him breathe. "Thank you," he said fervently. "And it's all yours, you know."

I smiled. "I know."

We buried Jules just outside the Kidari cemetery, where any foreigner or witch must be buried. Mwamba sat cross-legged on the ground beside the grave and chanted, to keep away evil spirits. I could physically _feel_ his exhaustion, and I wondered whether he and I also shared some bizarre connection.

Monterey stooped and picked up Jules, whom we had wrapped in strips of human shirts, and carried him away from a sobbing Sophia, and towards the grave. At Mwamba's nod, Jake hopped into the grave and Monty handed his burden down. Jake reverently laid him down, and then hopped back out, to stand with us in the hot sunset.

Sophia stepped forward and took a pawful of dust from the earth. "He would want it," she said quietly, then went to the grave's edge and scattered the dirt over Jules' body. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, with a sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to come..."

After everything that had happened, both the wonderful, and terrifying, and the miraculous, I was too tired and shocked to feel much except exhaustion. We made a tawdry spectacle, all of us. Monty clutching his goggles in his hands, Zipper sitting on his shoulder, looking at the ground. Jake, eyes squinted against the glare, looking over the bleak landscape. Dale was holding Sophia's paw awkwardly now that she had backed away from the grave. Both of them stared into it furtively. Chip had his arms around me, and I was leaning into his chest; I felt too weak to stand by myself. Occasionally Chip would shake his head and sigh.

Mwamba chanted again for several long minutes, and then stopped and moved toward the shovels that lay next to the backdirt pile. "It is finished," he said authoritatively.

Without speaking, the boys relinquished us and went to help bury Jules. Sophia came to me, and together we sat down on the parched earth and watched. It didn't take too long with all of them working, and I held Sophia protectively and rocked her gently as she wept. I felt too drained for tears.

When the grave was filled in, Chip, Dale, and Monty rolled a white stone into place, marking the grave.

"We put his name on it, Sophia," Jake said quietly.

Beside me, Sophia nodded and looked into the sky for a moment. Then she moved to Dale, hugged him, and then went to stand alone over the gravestone. From her pocket, Sophia withdrew a sheet of paper, torn from a book. She smoothed it out slowly, then reached in her other pocket and produced a small, bright red cloth poppy. Kneeling, she laid the poppy on the white stone, where it contrasted like blood on snow.

"The poppy is worn on Remembrance Day in England," she said softly. "To commemorate soldiers. The sentiment comes from 'Flanders Fields.'" She took a deep breath before continuing. "Many people will remember him as a criminal. Today, he was a good man – and I wish for people to know it."

She smoothed the paper again, and then in a quiet, clear voice, read.

 _In Flanders fields the poppies blow_

 _Between the crosses, row on row,_

 _That mark our place; and in the sky_

 _The larks, still bravely singing, fly_

 _Scarce heard amid the guns below._

 _We are the Dead. Short days ago_

 _We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,_

 _Loved and were loved, and now we lie,_

 _In Flanders fields._

 _Take up our quarrel with the foe:_

 _To you from failing hands we throw_

 _The torch; be yours to hold it high._

 _If ye break faith with us who die_

 _We shall not sleep, though poppies grow_

 _In Flanders fields._

My throat constricted and I let the tears slide down my filthy cheeks as Sophia knelt and reverently placed the poem on the stone. She kissed her paw and held it to the poppy, and she whispered something to Jules that only she, the wind, and possibly he, heard. My head ached and I turned deliberately to look into the sunset, trying to purge the distress.

Worlds had collided over this dusty, rust-colored land. Man had been rumored to have been born here. Men and mouse alike now fought over its water, its gold, its gems, and that something secret else that Africa seemed to possess. The witches, the famine, the lack of water... It was indeed a land that brought out darkness in people, yet still too bright in the sunset, where three worlds had stood across the grave of this mouse.

As I stood there by myself, looking into the sun, Mwamba appeared at my side. "You did very well today, Kanoni."

I looked at him, blinking the sun from my eyes. "You're a very good teacher," I said. "I still don't quite believe what happened. Parts of it make scientific sense, but other parts… Mwamba, that electromagnet wasn't anywhere near strong enough to throw birds off course. It _was_ strong enough to completely ruin the _Eagle's_ guidance systems, but it didn't. And how did those birds know what I was thinking?"

I was desperate for answers, even after all the bizarre things I had seen in the past several days. The cognitive dissonance did not sit well with me.

Mwamba sighed heavily. "Kanoni, if you stayed here, perhaps I could teach you to understand. But you are returning home, and I will not be there to guide you. Your power is still young, but you will see it from now on. You may not ever understand it, Kanoni, but you can accept it. And you can always control it if you try hard enough."

I didn't like the answer, but he was right, maybe I just had to accept it. After all, I had the proof, didn't I? Chip was still alive, and I had definitely told a flock of birds to run Fat Cat out of Tanzania and they had done it. _How_ I had accomplished this was completely beyond me, but I had proof that there was an unknown power I was wielding. I tried to change the subject.

"You're tired. You have Asani's bells."

He closed his eyes and bowed his head to his chest. "I took his bells."

I bit my lip. "What does that mean?"

His head shook wearily. "It means I won, Kanoni. It was not a victory I enjoyed, but I won."

Mwamba's weariness mirrored Chip's. I put a paw on his shoulder. "You heart is strong," I offered quietly.

He looked up at me. "There are prices to be paid for that strength, Kanoni."

I nodded. "I know."

From behind us, Endesha's voice came softly. "I know you have lost a friend today, and it is your tradition to mourn, but the village would like to thank you for your help. There will be a feast tonight in your honor."

Feast... The word registered only briefly with me as we all swung obediently into step behind Endesha, but then it expanded itself to mean something more. "Food?" I asked quietly.

Endesha turned and flashed a grin. "MUCH food."

"Maybe...maybe for a little while," I said, and Chip chuckled and came to hold my paw as we returned to the plane.

[TBC]


	14. Bells

_Thank you for reading! Please hit 'like' or leave me a comment - such things make my day. As always, I own nothing, nothing at all, abso - woops, wrong show._

 **Bells**

There was indeed a party going on in the village when we reached it. Despite our filthy appearance, the villagers seemed incredibly eager to get close to us. Almost immediately, Mwamba was caught up into a large group of mice, and I saw the village Chief bowing low before him. We all stopped behind the crowd around Mwamba, and watched important villagers welcome him and bow to him. He wore Asani's bells around his neck, and it was obvious now that he was a strong and capable witch. While his status among the villagers was happily reinstated, my heart broke for whatever he was enduring for Asani. Clearly, Mwamba was not going to elaborate on what "taking his bells" meant – whether Asani was stripped of his powers, exiled from the land, or really dead. I was not going to ask again.

In the midst of the crowd Mwamba said something loudly, and then pointed over at me. He said something again, and I caught 'Kanoni' in the sentence. He gestured for me to join him. I hesitated, but felt Chip press on my back, so I stepped into the crowd. The villagers didn't shrink away from me this time as Mwamba grasped my arm and steered me closer.

"They won't be afraid of you anymore," he whispered. "They are very grateful to you – you helped stop Asani."

I glanced a little sheepishly at him. "I blew up a mine and made an electromagnet."

He jostled me with his shoulder. "Remember Kanoni – the lines between magic and technology are blurred to you. And if you were to stay," he added, tipping his head, "I would be proud to teach you magic. And maybe you could teach me to fly," he laughed.

I laughed too, thinking of Mwamba at the controls of the _Eagle_. It _would_ be magic to him. I could teach him which buttons and levers to use at which times, but he would never understand why they all worked how they did. He might be able to teach me to pull darts from people, but I could never understand how I had done it. I would forever want a diagram, and he would always want spiritual control of internal combustion engines.

Mwamba held his paws up, commanding a quiet to come over the crowd. He stepped a pace back from me, then from his satchel withdrew the white stone I had seen earlier, and a small metal bracelet with bells attached.

"For you, Kanoni," he said slowly, holding them out to me. "If you ever come to visit the Kidari again, you will be held in high esteem by anyone you show these to. You are one of our witches. A good one."

Staggered, I took the stone and bells from Asani with a bow, sliding the stone into my pocket and slipping the bracelet onto my wrist. I stared at the bells for a few seconds, remembering I was supposed to give him something too, to show that when I left I was leaving the village in his charge. There was nothing terribly impressive in my pockets. I pondered for a moment, and then it came to me easily.

I pulled my goggles from my head and held them out to Mwamba. "For you, because this is _your_ village. And if you're ever in New York, I'd be happy to teach you to fly."

Mwamba bowed to me and accepted the goggles, and I wondered if he was going to try and wear them. Instead, he slid them through the belt around his waist in a slipknot and smiled at me. We were even.

The village Chief, who was remarkably tall, stepped up to us and bowed. He grinned at us and asked Mwamba something. He replied to the Chief, who turned around and shouted something, to which the whole village responded heartily, and suddenly drums were beating, people were singing, and the crowd was pushing us further into the village.

The feast table was a large wooden plank running the width of the courtyard between the main homesteads. Several large, hot fires were blazing around it, and the heat was welcoming in the cooling dusk. I found Chip in the milling crowd and we held onto each other as I was steered with Mwamba towards the table. We sat down and I found that the rest of the Rangers, along with Jake and Sophia were nearby, all looking tired, but hopefully, at the food that was mounded on the table.

Still somewhat stunned, I blindly accepted whatever food was pushed towards me, not caring particularly what it was or if it was safe for me to eat. Once I started eating I realized I had been running since breakfast without any food, and I was starving.

It wasn't too long before exhaustion set in, and I leaned on Chip's shoulder, my eyes fixed on the fire beyond the table. Too much had happened today, and I wanted to sleep. Maybe for days.

"Hey, Mwamba?" Chip asked the witch over my shoulder.

"Yes?"

"I was thinking – I know we've intruded on the village's hospitality for nearly a week, but we're pretty exhausted. Do you think it would be all right if we stayed a few more days and just took it easy?"

Mwamba chuckled. "The Chief has asked me to invite you to stay as long as you like – and to come back any time. You are welcome here."

Chip's paw scratched my back aimlessly and it was soothing. "Thanks. We appreciate it." He craned his neck to look at my face. "Do you want to go, sweetheart?"

"To bed?" I mumbled.

"Yes. I think you need to sleep."

I nodded and dragged myself upright. I caught sight of Sophia and Dale several plates away, asleep with their heads together. I pointed.

"Good grief," Chip sighed. "I wasn't counting on a double wedding." He helped me to my feet and we moved down the table to them. He shot me a glance, and I knelt down next to Sophia, and him next to Dale. I shook her gently, and she started, glancing first at me, then Dale, then me.

"We're going to bed, Sophia," I said, helping her up.

The four of us trudged away from the party, where I saw Monty, Jake, and Zipper still exuberantly telling stories and laughing. That they still had the energy was beyond me. I needed to sleep, because we weren't quite done yet. There was still paperwork from Fat Cat's office to go through, gold to get back to the mine...

Before I knew where I was I was wrapping myself in a blanket and sinking onto a sleeping mat next to Sophia.

"Gadget, I did not realize I had fallen asleep on Dale's shoulder."

I closed my eyes. "Don't worry," I muttered, "only good can come of it."

I thought I would have slept much longer, but I found myself awake early the next morning. I lay still, letting my mind slowly sift through the events of the past week, categorizing them, remembering them, laying past fears to rest, finding what peace I could, and making a new to-do list.

Now was the time to find out all the details of Fat Cat's schemes, just to make sure we cut off all the ties he had to the economy. It would take years for the world to heal after his meddling, but we could be sure it was ready to start.

I needed to make sure Sophia was all right. She had been through a lot the past few weeks, and I didn't want to leave her alone just yet to finish her film. She needed someone to hang onto. Maybe, I mused, that someone was Dale.

And then there was me. I was going to go home, and as soon as Sophia could get back to New York City, I was getting married. I had no plans for a big wedding. There would not be a guest list, a caterer, a bridal shower, or anything else. It would be very simply Chip and myself, the other Rangers, Sophia, and whoever was at the courthouse the day we went. And as to the reception, I wasn't about to let the crowd get any larger.

With these three tasks firmly in mind, I rolled over to nudge Sophia.

"I am awake," she told me before I could reach her. "I was thinking."

"Me too. About Jules?"

Her closed lids wrinkled. "Yes."

She lapsed into silence again, so I sat up and poked my head out of the hut. The village was fairly silent, though the sun was up and I could hear birds and primates in the surrounding bush. The party must have gone very late, because nobody seemed to want to wake up. I could hear Monterey snoring away soundly in the tent, and wondered how late he had gone to bed.

When I re-entered the hut, Sophia was sitting cross-legged on her mat, rummaging through her purse for her brush. I decided it might be a good time to get her to talk about Jules. "How are you?"

Her dark head dropped. When she looked up, her green eyes were bright. "I cannot understand how I feel, Gadget. But I do know that it does not feel like we gave him a proper farewell."

Jules was obviously forefront in her mind still. "I know. It felt wrong to go from a funeral to a party."

Sophia nodded, absently pulling at a lock of hair. "I wished more time to talk over the good times we had." She looked at me and smiled sadly. "I know you did not know him for very long, but for many months he was a good friend to me. I have missed his companionship. I thought I had forgotten about him, and had labeled him as a villain, but… Gadget, what he did yesterday was good. And his relief to find you alive and me well, that was also born of good intentions."

Jules Crissen was going to get lost in this lovely mouse's head the same way my father had in mine if someone didn't put her fears to rest. I just wasn't sure how to do it. I reached out and hugged her. "I wish he hadn't died," I whispered quietly. "He'd be coming home with us. I owe him."

Sophia hugged me back. "I want to believe he was trying to redeem himself."

I pulled back and held her paw. "I think he was. He may have gone into this with Fat Cat for money and power and revenge, but he changed his mind. And you know, Sophia, I think it was you that changed him."

She looked at me, distraught. "I am so confused for his actions. They were contradictory."

"They were a struggle. You heard what he yelled at Fat Cat: that you were not to be harmed. Sophia, he came all the way from the mine in the dead of night to make sure that you had been cured. But when he saw you, he was ashamed of his actions and ran."

We sat in silence for a few moments, and the question came out of my mouth before I could stop it. "Did you really forgive him?"

Diamond tears were glittering in her eyes as she struggled. "I said that I did. I said it because he was dying and he was so sincere. I was not going to live the rest of my life knowing I had denied him that small comfort. Today, though…maybe I need to forgive him again today."

I nodded. "Same for me. I wasn't going to not forgive him when he asked. He'd saved me, and that was selfless and it felt sincere. But I have to think about whether I really forgave him or not."

She squeezed my paws. "Something for us to work at, I think. But I want to."

"So do I."

There was a comfortable silence in the hut for a few minutes, and I decided to ask an even harder question. "What about Dale?"

Her face bloomed into a smile. She raised a brow at me. "Why do you ask?"

I grinned back. "The same reason you asked about Chip."

She chuckled and nodded. "I can imagine you may have believed I was flirting with him. But I can honestly tell you, that he is only a _very_ good friend. I feel like he is my brother. I trust him to always make me happy."

I laughed. "He's very good at keeping a smile on your face," I agreed.

Sophia patted my knee. "If you promise to keep it a secret, I shall tell you that he does not like me, not like that. He misses Chip, if you understand, now that he is spending more time with you. I think I make him less lonely." She reached up and smoothed her hair into a ponytail with a professional efficiency. "And besides, I may just be realizing that, if Jules had not decided to go astray, I could have easily learned to love him." She shrugged and sighed. "But that is a large 'if.'"

"As long as you don't keep it inside you," I told her. "Take my word for it that it isn't a good idea."

She nodded her agreement. "I will. I believe Jules laid his actions to rest yesterday, and I shall too. He will stay in my memory as a good friend and companion, but one who is gone." She snapped her fingers. "Now, I have something to tell you. Chip had me radio Tony yesterday, and he and the film crew will be here by afternoon tomorrow."

"Right. The sooner you finish, the quicker you can come to New York," I told her, "Because I'm not getting married until you can be my maid of honor. But I'm warning you – it's a small wedding. Just the Rangers and you, and we're only going to the courthouse. No reception afterwards, just a party for us." I felt kind of bad dropping it on her, knowing how much she wanted to help, but if she really wanted to help, she would understand that this was what Chip and I wanted.

She took it fairly gracefully. "Ah, of course you must do what you want. Maybe...maybe later...in several months, you would do me the honor of coming to France where I could throw a party in your honor?" She looked so hopeful, and was being so amazing about my new wedding plans that I couldn't refuse.

"Of course. That would be great, Sophia." I hugged her.

"Excellent, now, let us get everyone else up! We have some other things to do, correct?"

It was nearly mid-day by the time the rest of the Rangers had clambered out of bed, which was unusual for all of them except Dale – he could sleep all day if we let him. Once we were all awake and upright, Monterey told Chip that he had taken all the paperwork he could find in Fat Cat's office up to the _Eagle_ , and that he and Jake would take any villagers who wanted back to the mine to start moving the gold back.

"Too bad t' _Geegaw's_ gone," he said sadly. "I din' even get a chance ta drive it."

I overheard Chip sigh. " _Geegaw_ saved Gadget's life, Monty."

"That 'e did, Chipper. An' I'll take that any day over anythin', trus' me. That gal…yeh know she's the best thing in the 'ole world that evah 'append to me, 'er dad included."

Chip nodded fervently. "She's the most important thing to me, Monty. I need you to know that."

Monty smiled benevolently. "I know it, Chipper me lad. An' from what Endesha tells me about all them demons and witches yeh've been tanglin' with, I 'ave ter say that the two of yeh, bein' together…it's gonna be bonzer, mate."

"Yeah."

I wandered closer at that moment, coughing slightly to announce myself. Monty met me with an enormous hug. "Can' say I got the chance ta do that yesterday, Gadget-luv. 'An I don' know what we'd 'ave done without yeh."

"Monty, you have no idea how glad I am to still be here."

"Alive. 'An a witch ta boot! Who'd ev thought, hmm?"

I laughed. "Not me, that's for sure."

He patted my cheek affectionately. "I'd bes' be off to the office then."

"The workers are going to be pretty surprised to find that upper shaft gone – and I'm afraid I did quite a bit of damage to the real mine shafts. It could be dangerous."

"They's smart, they'll figure it out. An' in the meantime, they'll be findin' a load a gold, so's that'll make em happy." He laughed and scampered off with Jake.

The rest of us headed for the _Eagle_. The floor of the plane was covered in stacks of paper and ledger books, and I felt a headache coming on just thinking about all of the work we had in front of us.

"Dale, why don't you and Sophia get on the Internet and start looking at today's newspapers?" Chip asked Dale, pointing at the monitors. "Check BBC, CNN, NYT-"

"The usual suspects," Dale nodded. "Got it."

Chip sat down on the floor and reached for the nearest stack of papers. I felt daunted, but chose my own stack not too far away and started shuffling through it. My stack proved to be a sheaf of papers detailing the amounts of gold by weight that Fat Cat had been stealing from the mine everyday. The numbers were fairly consistent, with about four pounds being the average haul for a day. Apparently, Fat Cat's miners worked five days a week, and they'd been working for about two years. Doing some quick math in my head, there were approximately 260 work days in a year, with about ten official holidays that Fat Cat was probably too lazy to work in, so make that 250 work days, multiply that by two, get 500 days that Fat Cat had been stealing gold. At four pounds a day, that came to roughly 2,000 pounds of gold he had lying around.

I mentioned this in passing to Chip, who looked up at me, startled.

"That's a _lot_ ," he gulped. "And that's not counting his income from Capone at the Federal Mint, or anyone else he's got money coming from." He held up his own stack of papers. "These are receipts from Capone proving that he's been pilfering the Federal Mint on and off for the past couple of years. Even with the substantial cut he's been giving Capone, he's definitely got at least $500,000 here.

"Considering he had nearly 2,000 pounds of gold at his disposal here, and gold is selling for, umm... Dale, look up the price of gold per ounce," I called over my shoulder.

"$1,194," he answered a few moments later. He and Sophia swiveled from the Research station to hear the final dollar amount.

Again I did some quick math in my head. "Golly – that's over 38 million dollars!"

Chip was visibly floored. "Wow. I know in the scheme of things that's not a whole lot, but still..."

"As you said," Sophia offered, shaking her head, "that does not count the money from the stolen artwork, or his control of the fisheries or oil industry."

The figure was still dwarfed by the U.S. Federal Debt, but it fairly successfully swallowed the U.S. Mini Market, and the funds were all being used to punch holes in the global economy. The amount of damage Fat Cat had managed to do was staggering.

"And to think people are blaming the presidents for this..." Dale said, swiveling back to his computer screen. "Maybe we should run; we can prove we helped fix it. Chip and Dale – 2012."

Chip laughed and tossed a crumpled paper at Dale.

[TBC]

 _Chip and Dale, 2016. I would vote for that ticket in a heartbeat! :)_


	15. Future Unknown

_This is it, you've reached the end. :)_

 **Future Unknown**

Stepping back out of the _Eagle_ and into the sunshine that evening, the village looked different than it had before. Maybe it was because I had viewed it in the scheme of the mission, as something to be saved, somewhere to sleep at night, but now its tidy charm struck me. Free from the plagues of other worries, I could appreciate the tiny village anew – the children scuttling about playing with sticks and shouting; the women pounding yams and other foods in bowls as they sat next to their doorways, talking; the men moving purposefully about with digging sticks and staffs, coming in from their daily duties for dinner.

"It's beautiful," I heard myself whisper.

Chip stopped next to me and nodded, smiling. "It is. I don't know if you heard last night, but Mwamba said we were free to stay and relax now. I'd like to stay for a couple of days, at least until Tony and the film crew gets here so we know Sophia and Jake have somewhere to go."

As he spoke, Sophia and Dale walked out past us, and I could swear I heard Sophia stifle a giggle. She was up to something, I just couldn't tell what.

"That's a good idea. What did you want to do to relax? We're not very good at vacations," I joked, nudging his shoulder.

He winked at me. "Well, you said you always wanted to see Olduvai Gorge…. You know, properly, not just a quick glimpse while you jump off the side. Why don't we start there tomorrow?"

I laughed out loud. "Yes. Maybe I can show you the site at Laetoli where they excavated Lucy from the rock."

"Lucy?"

I grabbed his paw to tug him back into the _Eagle,_ ready to leave right then and there in my excitement. "Lucy was the name given to the Australiopithicene that was discovered there; Australiopithecus _afarensis_ , to be precise. She's supposedly three and a half _million_ years old."

Chip stared blankly and then laughed and tugged me back off the loading ramp. "You're cute when you're nerding out, you know that? But tomorrow, Gadget, it's too late now. And you know what? Let's not take the _Eagle._ I've got a better idea."

I didn't think anything could be better than the _Eagle_ , but Chip, incurable romantic that he was, had indeed found something better. Tarawana was a lovely stork with grey-blue feathers and an eye for tourist destinations. Endesha had worked with her before, taking tourists to see rivers, Lake Victoria, tea plantations, and safari parks.

Tarawana swooped gracefully down into the Gorge with Chip and I on her back. "There are some paleoarchaeologists working there this season," she called to us in her melodic voice. "Would you like to stop and see them work?"

"Oh, golly _yes_ ," I said, craning my head to get a better look at the white tents below me.

Tarawana chuckled. "It is the Laetoli site, are you familiar with it?"

"Absolutely," I affirmed. "Chip, do you want to see the footprints?" I asked.

Chip pecked my cheek. "Yes, but I didn't think I had a choice, Hackwrench."

I showed Chip the Laetoli site, gleefully scampering around the famous footprints there, indicating three australiopitheces who had walked across the ground. I explained to him that the millions of year old prints were still so visible because they had been created right after a volcanic eruption, and the site had been preserved when it was rained on shortly afterward, making the footprints hard. I pointed out and explained the different layers in the rock to him, showing how the archaeologists knew where the best places to excavate were. He seemed obliviously content, so I spent several happy hours wandering around the human's camp, watching them scrape the ground with trowels and measure the depth of their test units. I was in the midst of examining the crew chief's notes for the day when one of the younger diggers let out a squeal of delight and shouted for people to come see.

Chip raised his head slightly from where he was lounging next to a coffee mug full of pens. "Oh look, they found a rock," he laughed.

I stood up and pulled my telescope out of my pocket to examine. I laughed out loud at Chip. "That's not a rock, Chip, it's a tool. Looks like a hammerstone from here."

Chip made a face. "You mean humans, millions of years ago, were using stone tools?"

"Just like chipanzees and apes today," I answered, somewhat absorbed in looking at the tool.

"You mean the only tools humans _think_ chimps and apes use."

"Well, humans wouldn't know what to do if they knew all dexterous animals were just as competent with technology as they are. We're all better off with humans _not_ knowing, because at least this way I'm salvaging electronics from them and not trying to keep them from snitching electronics from Ranger headquarters."

Tarawana flew us back to the village early that afternoon. The ride back was just as breathtaking, letting Chip and I take in a full view of the red horizon meeting the deep blue sky. She touched down just a few yards from our campsite and winked at me before spreading her enormous wings and taking off again.

"That was an incredible," I laughed, hugging Chip. "Thanks for letting me show you everything."

"Glad you liked it," he answered, pecking my cheek. "I think I see Sophia's film crew," he added, nodding to a group standing in our yard a distance away, talking with Sophia, Jake, and the rest of the Rangers. Endesha and Mwamba were there too.

"They look like they're talking about something fun."

"I bet they are."

"Let's go introduce ourselves and see if Tony knows when they'll be able to spare Sophia for a few days," I suggested, tugging at Chip's arm.

He chuckled. "Yeah, lets."

I should have known then and there something was up, because as soon as Chip and I came within earshot of Sophia, I saw her cheeks flush deep red and she wrung her paws.

"Gadget! Chip! I would like to introduce you to Tony and our marvelous film crew." She took my paw and drew me into the group of mice. "This is Tony," she began, and I found myself shaking the paw of a lanky brown mouse with a striped shirt.

"Glad to meet you, Gadget. I've certainly heard a lot about you." He released my paw and reached for Chip. "And you, Chip. Glad to see you're holding up so well."

This seemed like an odd thing to say to Chip, but he simply shrugged as if he and Tony frequently chatted. Sophia led me around the rest of the circle, and I shook paws with the camera man, the gaffer, the lighting specialist, and her personal assistant. Then I turned to a slim meerkat in a loose shirt.

Endesha stepped forward to make the introduction. "Gadget, this is Wamufu, from Zanzibar."

Wamufu grinned broadly, his tail ticking back and forth. "I'm a traveling officiate of sorts," he informed me.

I did a double take and looked slyly over at Chip. He was pretending to look innocent.

"Chip, did you - ?"

He shrugged nominally. "Maybe."

I laughed at his carefully concealed glee, but managed a snarky, "you are a _complete_ romantic, mister."

Chip bowed his gallantly. "Guilty as charged, madam." He took my paw. "But you are the one who wanted a simple wedding. I don't think it could get much simpler." Chip grinned and looked around at the bright sunny day, the admittedly picturesque huts and gardens, and the crowd of eager onlookers.

I smiled. "No, I don't think it could. Let's do it."

Chip scooped me up into his arms and hugged me until I couldn't breathe, and everyone laughed. He set me down and I steadied myself on his shoulders. "Just one thing Chip, I don't have a ring for you."

Endesha tapped my shoulder. "You do," he said with a smile. "You see, Fat Cat stole an awful lot of gold, and some of the dust was scarcely worth sweeping off the floor. But…" he produced a small wooden box. "Mwamba and I thought we should have this made for you, Chip."

Chip grinned in disbelief at Endesha, accepting the box. "Thank you, Endesha, Mwamba."

I looked, dumbfounded, between the two of them. "Chip, how many people were in on this plan?"

Everyone laughed. Sophia hugged me. "Everybody was, dear."

"The day Jake 'an Zipper an' I hoofed it off tah the other villages, Chipper asked fer my blessing," Monty reminded me.

"And then," Sophia said, "he asked Endesha and me if we could arrange to have an officiant visit the village when everything was settled. Endesha arranged for Wamufu to meet Tony at the airport, and Tarwana's brother met them at the private airport a few miles from here."

"I was happy to oblige," Tony said. "And we've even got a camera for photos, if you want."

"And then Chip told me last night," Dale said, beaming. "I'm really happy for you two."

I looked at everyone and Chip slipped his paw into mine. "Well? Should we do it?" he asked quietly.

I nodded. "Yes." I pecked his cheek. "Thank you for this."

"My pleasure."

"One more thing," Mwamba said, stepping up to us. "Since you are getting married in a Kidari village, there are a few things you should know. This," he held up a red sash in his paws, "is the traditional marriage sash that brides wear. It is made by the groom's mother as a sign of a happy marriage, and that the woman is marrying into a family that can care for her. Chip, the Chief and his wife wished to adopt you as an _uru_ son – an honorary son. You are the chief of the Rangers, and they felt it fitting that they should make a sash for your bride." He handed the sash to Chip solemnly.

"Thank you," Chip whispered, running his fingers over the scarlet fabric. "The Chief…can I thank him?"

Mwamba smiled. "At the wedding you will."

Endesha pointed to the ring box Chip was also holding. "Another thing. The bride's father always provides the groom with a gift. Usually, it is farm land or water rights or farming equipment, but of course you have no use of these things, Chip." Endesha took the box and snapped the lid open, revealing a small gold band with a hint of scarlet on the inside. "Mwamba has taken you, Gadget, as his _uru_ daughter, and I as an _uru_ son." He beamed at Mwamba for a moment. "As your kinsmen, we are presenting your husband with this ring as his gift."

Mwamba touched the palm of his paw to Endesha's forehead and nodded to him. "Yes, and both of your gifts signify many things." He looked at Chip. "Chip, your strong heart is red, and Kanoni, your strong heart is gold. Chip will wear both of these as a sign of unity. Kanoni, the sash you will wear today also signifies Chip's strong heart. And the scar, the red ring you will carry around your heart throughout your life, will serve as a tie to Chip's strong heart, which called you back from the Place of the Dead."

I looked long and hard at Mwamba, and then gave him a tight hug, knowing he would forgive me if it was a terrible breach of etiquette. "Thank you, Mwamba," I whispered in his ear. "Do I still call you Mwamba now?"

He smiled and nodded to me. "Yes. Or _ipuk-uru_."

Endesha hugged me too. "It means 'my father who has chosen me.' And if you want it, I am your _altir-urubar._ Your 'brother from the father who chose us.'"

Dale giggled. "That sounds really complicated."

Endesha nodded. "It is. I always found 19th century anthropologists who studied kinship to be very amusing. Family is not all blood and marriage ties, is it Dale?"

Dale grinned. "Nope."

Wamufu stepped forward. "I think then, that we should get on with it."

Ten minutes later, I was standing in my hut with Sophia and the Chief's wife, Kenda, who were fussing over me. Kenda had given me not only a lovely red sash, but a white pair of slacks and shirt that many of the young men wore when they visited Zanzibar. Sophia had been hesitant about the outfit at first, but then more alarmed at the idea of a red sash and my lavender jumpsuit, and so she laughed and said, "when in Rome!"

When Kenda had finished, I turned to Sophia for approval. "Well? How do I look?"

Sophia clasped her paws together. "Beautiful. And do you know what else? You look like yourself. You have a lovely figure and dresses flatter you, I will not deny it. But you look comfortable and at ease in this. You look like a bride."

I grinned. I _felt_ like myself. As I adjusted the bells on my wrist and the sash around my waist, I heard drums begin outside. My heart started pounding. "I think I'm ready, Sophia."

Kenda, Sophia, and I exited the hut and moved into the courtyard where everyone was waiting around the fire. Chip was wearing the same thing I was, and had forgone donning his fedora. The moment he glanced over and grinned at me, my pounding heart calmed. I felt happy.

The next twenty minutes were a bit blurred for me, and months and years later I was grateful that Abby, the snap-happy and very talented photographer, had been there. What I do remember of the wedding ceremony is Chip's paws holding mine hard, and his rich dark eyes boring into me. I remember Wamufu asking Chip to say his vows and that all the things we had talked about suddenly seemed unimportant. He said all he needed to say: your heart is strong and it is tied to mine. I remember repeating it to him when it was my turn, and feeling that scar on my chest burn when I said it.

And I will forever remember that staggeringly beautiful kiss when it felt as if all the energy in the world was bound up between us. And Chip's smile afterwards. I love his smile.

What I internalized during those moments was love, and everything that it had meant to me in my life up until then, and a glimpse into everything it was going to expand to include. I felt a forward motion, not just with my own life and directive, but a joint motion that included me with Chip irrevocably. It was a beautiful thing, not as frightening in its uncertainty as it was in its certainty. Futures are unknown, I am the first person in the world to admit that because I have seen it happen in seconds and hours, in plane crashes and unseen enemies. But to know that you are now larger than yourself, and yet somehow still yourself, moving into that unknown with an ally, that is everything.

Mwamba had mentioned to me that the leech had made me relive loneliness, because it has been my greatest trial; the root of all that has gone badly in my life. That day, love became something that would relieve the loneliness, because ours was somehow permanent and palpable across the gulfs of reality. After all, it is possible to be alone and not be lonely. We were tied together by our souls, and there was really nothing that could untie it except us.

That kind of power can be intoxicating. I have felt it before and come close to using it badly. But having come so close to one end of that spectrum, I was now finding myself on the other end, using that power to build a life together that embraced any kind of sudden happenstance or abrupt end, knowing that I would always have him with me.

"You know, I wasn't planning on a destination wedding," I told Chip, nuzzling into his neck. We were sitting on the hangar door of the _Eagle_ , watching the moon rise.

"In Africa, no less."

"How did we get here, Chip?"

"Do you want that literally or figuratively answered?"

"Surprise me."

"Well, you said if yourself. The Ethereal Theory. We could go back and back and back trying to find that answer, Gadget. We could say that Sophia had to be filming here, or that the RAS had to be burned down, or that Bubbles had to come after you in the first place, or that we had to run left instead of right to get away from a salesman trap, or that your parents had to meet…."

"That's a bit extreme, don't you think, Chip?"

He shrugged gently against me. "Not terribly."

I frowned after a moment. "Then who says we're the final reason? There aren't any ends in that theory. Just steps continuously taken. New pieces in an ever-growing mosaic. I mean, what are we making, Chip? What are we a part of? Why do I have teeth marks around my heart and why do you and I, of all people in the world, get to be bound together in such a way? Do we get a choice in all of this, or are we just being manipulated? Fated?"

Chip laughed a bit. "Now we both sound like an existential X-Files monologue."

I laughed too. "You're right."

"Why don't we discuss something more tangible?"

"Like what?" I asked slyly.

He nipped playfully at my ear. "Like where we're going on our honeymoon. And how long we're staying."

I kissed him. "Now that sounds like a good conversation, Chief."

[THE END]


	16. Credits

**Credits & Author's Note**

Thank you for reading, folks! I typically post my stories with a chapter a week once it is all finished, but there didn't seem to be a following for this story, so I just uploaded it all at once. I hope that someone stumbles across it and enjoys it! As a matter of legality, I don't own anything in this story except the hard work. I don't own: the Rescue Rangers, Tanzanite mines, gold mines, British Petroleum, the Waldorf Astoria, crop dusting planes, Star Trek, the X-Files, Top Gear, Mary Poppins, Olduwan tool kits, remote control cars, witches, or anything remotely exciting or of monetary value. I also don't own anything else that I mentioned in the story and have probably forgotten about by now. :)

And more for my own sake than anyone else's:

I will be frank – I don't remember writing parts of this. I started this story in 2010, the year before I graduated from college. I finished 90% of it a year later, and then for whatever reason could not finish it. I sat on it until 2014, during grad school, when one random night in a fit of I CAN'T WRITE THIS THESIS ANYMORE I decided to reread what I had written. At that point, referring to my excellent beta's notes from 2011, I rewrote parts of a few chapters and wrote and inserted an entirely new chapter (12). After graduating in 2015, I decided one afternoon to really and honestly finish the blasted thing. I reread what there was, knowing that all I was missing was the final scene. I was honestly surprised to find that I still liked what I had written, which rarely happens and means that I did a good job. I read chapter 12 that night with no memory of having written it earlier that spring. I left it as was, counting it as a fit of inspiration in the midst of my academic writing fatigue.

As an anthropologist, I had a lot of fun making up the Kidari. The Kidari are _very_ loosely based on two groups: the Maasai of Tanzania, and an un-named group in South Africa who appear in the awesome-to-read ethnography _Return to Laughter._

The Kidari resemble the Maasai in that they live in the same region, the clothing is similar, the color red's significance was drawn from their symbolism, and 'Kanoni' and 'Mwamba,' are both Maasai names. Kanoni means 'little bird.' Mwamba means 'rock' or 'stone.' I don't remember how I found the name Asani, but it sounds cool.

The Kidari resemble the group in _Laughter_ in supernatural respects. The entire concept of witches, outsiders as possible witches, and the battles that go on between them were all derived from this ethnography. Also, this un-named group's understanding of the 'heart' became key to all the character development Gadget and Chip go through with Mwamba as their instructor. Also of note, this group lived in small homesteads with huts. A small group of families live in huts within the chief's homestead. In this group the chief may have supernatural powers, but a witch living nearby his homestead may be equally respected and feared, because he could exercise his power for or against the chief.

So. There is your anthropology lesson for the day. I hope you enjoyed the story. Please leave me a review, because there is nothing better in my inbox than good fanfic review. Well, job offers are also appreciated, but I sincerely doubt any museum professionals or anthropologists are reading this story in the hopes of finding a new employee.


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